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The Katinas' Family Christmas is indeed a unique family affair. After all, these Katinas are actually five brothers (John, Joe, James, Jesse, and Sam) who grew up on the tropical Polynesian island of American Samoa and have been singing together since early childhood. Known primarily for Christian music, their Family Christmas presents eight well-loved holiday tunes, including the always-lovely "Mary Did You Know," and one exuberant Katina original ("Christmas Is Here"). Everything is performed in an infectious boy-band pop format.

My promotional copy featured tracks in a different order than on the final release, and I think the producers made the right choice in pushing two of the album's strongest tracks ("Let It Snow!" & "Mary, Did You Know") right up front. "Let It Snow" is particularly fresh, with an a cappella intro and minimalist accompaniment that lets the Katinas truly shine. For the same reason, I especially enjoyed "O Little Town of Bethlehem," which has no instrumentation at all, featuring only the Katinas' unadorned voices. Lovely! These men have excellent pipes and work natural harmonies in an effortless fashion.

The Katinas often tour with Michael W. Smith and have appeared at Billy Graham Crusades and Promise Keepers events. This is one family that knows how to keep the faith, and they hope to share their high-energy Family Christmas with you. Spread the love!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the promotional materials: "We grew up in the islands of the South Pacific where it never snowed or looked like Christmas, so for us, Christmas is not about the trimmings or the gifts or the ornaments--it's about family," said John Katina. "With this record, we went back to our roots of vocal harmonies, and even though many of these classic songs have been recorded numerous times over the years, we've worked to make these arrangements unique and refreshing. It is our hope that people will love to listen to these songs as they go about their Christmas tradition, and that this record will be a part of 'family Christmases' for years to come."

From the liner notes:

Produced and arranged by The Katinas except where noted
Executive Producers Toby McKeehan & Joey Elwood

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (S. Cahn, J.Styne) Co-Produced by David Wyatt and Jim Hammerly / Vocal arrangement by Jim Hammerly / Mixed by Bryan Lenox

Mary, Did You Know (Lee Rufus Greene III , Mark Lowry) Produced Co-Produced by David Wyatt Mixed by Bryan Lenox

Joy To The World Co-Produced by David Wyatt Mixed by Bryan Lenox

O Little Town Of Bethlehem Co-Produced by David Wyatt and Jim Hammerly / Vocal arrangement by Jim Hammerly / Mixed by Bryan Lenox O Come All Ye Faithful Co-Produced by Kene "Ghost" Bell for FYI Entertainment / Mixed by Bob Williams

Christmas Is Here (Sam Katina, Joe Katina, James Katina) Co-Produced by Kene "Ghost" Bell for FYI Entertainment / Mixed by Bob Williams

I'LL Be Home For Christmas / White Christmas (Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram / Irving Berlin) Co-Produced by Kene "Ghost" Bell for FYI Entertainment / Mixed by Bob Williams

O Holy Night Co-Produced by Kene "Ghost" Bell for FYI Entertainment / Mixed by Bob Williams

Emmanuel (Michael W. Smith) Co-Produced by Kene "Ghost" Bell for FYI Entertainment / Mixed by Bob Williams

Till The Season Comes Round Again (John Barlow Jarvis & Randy Goodrum) Co-Produced by Kene "Ghost" Bell for FYI Entertainment / Mixed by Bob Williams

The Katinas

Family Christmas

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Track List