''Songs for Christmas'' was the first holiday studio album from

contemporary worship music Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are fr ...

ian

Phil Wickham Philip David Wickham (born April 5, 1984) is a Contemporary Christian musician, singer and songwriter from San Diego, California. Wickham has released nine albums: ''Give You My World'' in 2003, a self-titled album in 2006, ''Cannons'' in 2007, ...

, and the album released on October 28, 2010 by

INO Records Ino or INO may refer to: Arts and music *I-No, a character in the ''Guilty Gear'' series of video games *Ino (Greek mythology), a queen of Thebes in Greek mythology *INO Records, an American Christian music label * Ino Yamanaka, a character in t ...

. The album has seen commercial charting success, as well as, it has garnered critical acclamation from music critics.

Background and release

The album was released on October 28, 2010 by

, and it was the first holiday studio album by

Music and lyrics

At ''Worship Leader'', they compared his voice to the likes of Andrew Bird and Rufus Wainwright, but noted that they do not hold a candle to his voice, which was the best instrument used in the making of the album. Also, they wrote that all of the classic hallmarks of a Wickham album are present from the "guitars, keys, angelic-sounding choirs, even a banjo sprinkled in for good measure." Tyler Hess of Christian Music Zine wrote how the album was not "much of a rock album, more like slow tempo pop ballads".

Critical reception

''Songs for Christmas'' garnered critical acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

Andrew Greer Andrew Brooks Greer (born July 10, 1982) is a touring independent singer-songwriter and writer living in Nashville, Tennessee. Background Greer was born in Azle, Texas, on July 10, 1982, the son of Thomas and Jane Greer ('' née'', Girard ...

of ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

'' rated the album four stars, and proclaimed the album to feature some "delightful artistry." At ''Worship Leader'', they rated the album a perfect five stars, and noted how his original sounding voice comes "drip ngwith passion". Brendan O'Regan of

Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. Hi ...

rated the album nine out of ten squares, which he felt that for his sake the album "comes close to being the perfect Christmas album", and highlighted that the cover art was esthetically pleasing. At Jesus Freak Hideout, Ryan Barbee rated the album four-and-a-half stars, and commented that the album was simply "incredible". Tyler Hess of Christian Music Zine rated the album four stars, which he said the album was just "nice", and the album should "

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a soft comfort for those looking forward to enjoying the Holiday." At The Christian Music Review Blog, Jonathan Kemp rated the album three-and-a-half stars, and wrote that the listener should just get the songs they liked rather than buying the whole project because it was not the "best" of Christmas albums.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2010 albums INO Records albums Phil Wickham albums