Christmas: God with Us

Christmas: God With Us is the eighth studio album, and first Christmas album, from Christian contemporary musician Jeremy Camp, the album released on September 25, 2012, through BEC Recordings.

Christmas: God With Us
Studio album by
Jeremy Camp
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2012
RecordedMay 2008
GenreContemporary Christian music, rock, pop rock, Christmas music
Length36:32
LabelBEC
ProducerBrown Bannister, Jeremy Camp, Ben Shive
Jeremy Camp chronology
We Cry Out: The Worship Project
(2010)		 Christmas: God With Us
(2012)		 Reckless
(2013)

Critical reception
Reviewer ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Christian Music Zine[1]
Indie Vision Music[2]
Jesus Freak Hideout[3]
Louder Than the Music[4]
New Release Tuesday[5]
[6]
The TradesC+[7]
Worship Leader[8]

Indie Vision Music's Jonathan Andre said that "Jeremy's album is the first of many to release in the year of 2012, and with some commendable melodies full of heart and promise, Jeremy's first Christmas album is able to set us in the right Christmas spirit as we start to remember the reason for our existence on Earth. Though not necessarily right on the song selection, Jeremy's infusing of both holiday and Christmas songs will give some appeal to the mainstream market, and will definitely be a positive if he chooses to breakout in that niche market later on in his musical career. With Christmas: God With Us whetting my musical appetite for more Christmas albums,...Well done Jeremy for such an enjoyable record!"[2]

Jesus Freak Hideout's John DiBiase said that "Overall, Christmas: God With Us is a pretty good first holiday offering from Jeremy Camp. Fans of traditional Christmas songs will probably find a lot to love on here, while those looking for fresh and original material will most likely be disappointed. As for me, I tend to lean toward traditional covers delivered in a familiar form with a signature touch by current artists, and Jeremy has done a pretty good job at leaving his own mark on familiar songs. The additional lyrics don't always work, but it may be just enough of an update for some people to find these familiar songs fresh again. If anything, just hearing Jeremy rock out and have fun on a few songs here is worth checking out the record for alone. There should be at least a few songs on Christmas: God With Us that will be worth replaying each holiday season, while fans of Jeremy will certainly want to add this into their annual seasonal rotations."[3]

Louder Than The Music's Rich Smith said that "This album feels a little like a mix tape of favourite Christmas songs, which could be the intention, as Camp says that he wanted to pick songs that he listened to growing up and make them his own. He has selected the Christmas carols that he and his family love to sing, and who can argue with that...Overall this is a good Christmas album and has a prayerful, reverent feel to it, giving us a great reflection and reminder that Christmas is the time to celebrate Jesus' birth for us."[4]

New Release Tuesday's Jonathan Francesco said that "It's Jeremy Camp singing Christmas songs. That's what the cover advertises, and that's what you get. Nothing here is really shocking. Christmas music is a big draw and an artist of Camp's caliber obviously was bound to tackle a Christmas album eventually. It's just that an artist of Camp's caliber should have a release that's at least a little more "classic" than this."[5]

Worship Leader said that "...Camp's signature growl graces some of our favorite Yuletide tunes in Christmas: God With Us...Solid beats, a pop/rock production that keeps Camp's pipes front and center, and a song list that takes no chances make this an easy pickup for fans or anyone looking for a new collection of favorites (and one added original)."[8]

Track listing
Christmas: God With Us
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jingle Bell Rock"Joe Beal & Jim Boothe2:09
2."Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"Public Domain3:00
3."Joy to the World"Public Domain4:14
4."O Little Town of Bethlehem"Public Domain5:04
5."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin4:05
6."Let It Snow"Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne2:10
7."Mary Did You Know"Mark Lowry & Buddy Greene4:04
8."God with Us"Brown Bannister, Jeremy Camp & Ben Shive3:07
9."O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"Public Domain4:56
10."Away in a Manger"Public Domain3:43
Total length:36:32

Personnel
  • Jeremy Camp – lead vocals
  • Adam Lester – guitars
  • Ben Shive – piano, keys, additional guitars, string arrangements
  • Tony Lucido – bass guitar
  • Dan Needham – drums
  • EMT – additional percussion
  • Nashville Recording Orchestra – strings
  • David Davidson – string contractor
  • Luke Brown – backing vocals
  • Ellie Holcomb – backing vocals

Production

  • Brown Bannister – producer, engineering, editing
  • Ben Shive – producer, engineering, editing
  • Jeremy Camp – producer
  • Brandon Ebel – executive producer
  • Tyson Paoletti – executive producer
  • Ben Phillips – recording at Superphonic, engineering, editing
  • Jeff Pitzer – additional engineering
  • Andrew Mendleson – mastered at Georgetown Masters
  • Townsend Sound – overdub recording location
  • The Beehive – overdub recording location
  • Vance Powell – mixing (1, 4, 5, 8, 10)
  • Mark Petaccia – mixing assistant (1, 4, 5, 8, 10)
  • Shane D. Wilson – mixing (2, 3, 6, 7, 9)
  • Justin Dowse – mixing (2, 3, 6, 7, 9)
  • Lani Crump – mix coordination, for Showndown Productions
  • Conor Farley – A&R
  • Matt Balm – management
  • Brad Davis – design
  • Lee Steffen – photography

Charts
Chart (2012) Peak position
US Billboard 200[9] 119
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[10] 6
US Holiday Albums (Billboard)[11] 1
US Current Albums (Billboard)[12] 170
gollark: Well, Optane is much faster than traditional solid state disks.
gollark: Factorial is done integerously in python isn't it?
gollark: osmarkscalculator™ would of course use bigints wherever possible.
gollark: It's somewhat more complex, but essentially yes.
gollark: The Turing machines are coming for you.

References
  1. Kjonaas, Emily (September 24, 2012). "Jeremy Camp – "Christmas: God With Us" (Review)". Christian Music Zine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  2. Andre, Jonathan (September 18, 2012). "Jeremy Camp – Christmas: God With Us". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  3. DiBiase, John (September 24, 2012). "Jeremy Camp, "Christmas: God With Us" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  4. Smith, Rich (December 14, 2012). "Reviews - Jeremy Camp - Christmas: God With Us". Louder Than The Music. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  5. Francesco, Jonathan (September 24, 2012). "Jeremy Camp's Christmas CD is Exactly What You'd Expect". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  6. Wright, Jay (September 24, 2012). "Great Christmas album!". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  7. Schultz, Paul (September 25, 2012). "Music Review: Jeremy Camp, "Christmas: God with Us"". The Trades. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  8. Worship Leader (November 26, 2012). "Christmas Releases". Worship Leader. Archived from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  9. "Jeremy Camp Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  10. "Jeremy Camp Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard.
  11. "Top Holiday Albums 2012-10-13". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. October 13, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  12. "Top Current Albums 2012-11-24". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. November 24, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.