Album Review

If you're looking for a Christmas album that's out of the ordinary, then Sojourn just might have the album for you. Songs For The Advent is mostly original music, all centred around the holiday season. "God Is With Us" works as a modern classic song, delicate and stirring. Their version of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" is probably the most powerful one I've ever heard, with guitars colliding as the song progresses. "The Shepherds: Part 1" and "Part 2" are beautiful acoustic pieces written and performed by Mike Cosper. The Jeremy Quillo penned "Hosanna In The Hightest" is an intense yet tender swelling composition, and the Sojourn community adds their trademarked lush vibrance to it. "What Child Is This" is the other traditional Christmas song found here. Their version is intricate and not too far removed from most versions. The highlight of this CD is "The Birth, The Visit, The Escape", an conceptual instrumental piece, meant to be heard while reading specific passages of scripture. The track contains a great mix of programming, beautiful acoustic guitars, numbing drum fills, and exceptional guitar swells. "The Advent" plays like a classical piano piece, ushering in the final track, "Glory Be". The bassline in this song is amazing, and the collective pulls out all the stops to create something epic. Other than the spoken word heard on "John 1", this is a wonderful holiday album through and through.