Kim Gentes

One thing most of us can remember is the singing of carols during the Christmas season. Even if we aren't musical, the simple joy of listening to songs which retell both the story of Christ and the joy of the season opens us up to dig deeper into the heart of what it means to give.

As I poured over a number of new Christmas albums this season, I found one acoustic album that highlighted the warmth and heartfelt joy of the season for myself and my family- A Living Room Christmas. This new project from Sean & Aimee Dayton is exactly what the title promises- a pensive wrapping of traditional Christmas classics in the warmth of a living room with acoutic guitar, light percussion, occasional violin, and even the playful sound of a banjo for one song.  And while the feel of the songs range from deep devotion to fun, every song is graced by the georgeous voices of these two equally warm-toned worshipers.

I found myself lifting my heart in worship as this project led me on a worshipful journey of waiting and asking for Christ (in "Do You Hear What I Hear", "O Come O Come Emmanuel"), procliming the newborn declaration ("The First Noel", "Angels We Have Heard On High"), and bursting forward in all out praise ("Joy To The World"). Weaved into this family worship experience are some seasonal favorites that stay pensive and warm-hearted ("White Christmas", "Winter Wonderland").

This is a wonderful Christmas project, done with skill, while remaining appropriately understated on arrangements and instrumentation to retain a warm "living room" glow. Add to the Dayton's skilful vocals is Brian Doerksen guest vocals on "Silent Night" as well as a track from Paul Baloche ("The First Noel") and the album is a treasure of its own for this Christmas season. I highly recommend you consider this project for your Christmas collections!

Free Song Download from "A Living Room Christmas"

Now that you have sampled part of this great album, I strongly encourage you to get the entire album. You can get a copy of the album yourself at :

A Living Room Christmas http://bit.ly/vw6v3M 

Review by Kim Gentes