Twila Paris - It's The Thought ...

By Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States)
I realized something today. I've only had this CD for 10 years. It seems like it should have been longer to me since I can't picture Christmas without it any more.

7 of the 12 tracks here are classic Christmas songs. But such tracks as "Midwinter," "I Saw Three Ships," and "Down in Yon Forest" are less familiar and recorded songs. Twila wrote four of the originals, including the title song, which ties Christmas and Easter together. My favorite of the original songs is "This World," written by her father, talking about the change that the first Christmas had on the entire world. I also like the pairing of "White Christmas" with the chorus "Whiter then Snow." It gives a whole different spin on the traditional classic.

I heard an interview with Twila Paris about this CD, and she said her goal was to create a CD that was worshipful. As if you'd expect from Twila, she hit the mark. This is especial evident in the second and third songs, "Alleluia, Christ is Born" and "Glory to God (The Angel's Song)."

This is one of the first CD's I pull out every Christmas. It you're at all a fan of Twila's music, get it today. You'll enjoy it for years to come.


By Chad Oberholtzer (Boalsburg, PA, USA)
This strangely titled Christmas album is a nice mix of standard Christmas tunes with a few original compositions. Twila Paris does a solid job with some traditional songs. It's rare for any pop artist to do justice to Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus," but this is a nice arrangement. And her "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "O Holy Night" are also well-done.

Of particular note are a few new songs, written by Paris herself. "Alleluia, Christ is Born" and "Wandering Pilgrim" are particularly outstanding.

I only gave this album four stars because its sound is somewhat dated. On several tracks, the dominant synthesizer sound is just screaming, "This was recorded in the 1980's," which unfortunately detracts from the overall experience.

Nonetheless, this is a quality Christmas album, and I look forward to listening to it each year. I recommend it to anyone interested in a somewhat unique offering of Christmas music....

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