Christmas by Phil Wickham

Phil Wickham offers classic holiday music along with two original songs on his record simply titled “Christmas.” It’s Wickham’s second Christmas album; “Songs for Christmas” debuted in 2011. “Whether you start to listen today or you wait until Christmas Eve, I pray these songs bring joy, peace, and wonder to your lives,” he said in a release. Wickham’s soft and peaceful voice provides easy listening to songs such as “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Joy to the World.” The new songs, “This Year For Christmas,” written for Wickham’s wife, and “Face of God” bring freshness and vitality to the project. The chorus of “Face of God” is beautiful and filled with worship: “Gloria, I hear the angels singing gloria; All of the heavens ringing, gloria, The Savior of the world is in her arms; She’s staring at the face of God.” An acoustic version with two additional tracks is available at Wickham’s website. (Fair Trade Services)