After winning five Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, 49 Dove Awards, recording 43 #1 radio hits, and 15 projects with Sparrow Records in a career spanning nearly 19 years, Steven Curtis Chapman comes back strong with another solid Christmas album.  His first Christmas album, The Music of Christmas, came out ten years ago in 1995.  Chapman’s most recent studio recording, All Things New, released September 21st, 2004, and a little over a year later Chapman’s new Christmas album, titled All I Really Want for Christmas, continues his strong history of albums.  Chapman includes several well-known Christmas carol titles on his CD including “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” He also has four original songs on this album: a new recording of his 1995 “Christmas is All in the Heart”; the new, very moving title track “All I Really Want”; what he calls a "redeeming version" of “The Night Before Christmas”; and another new song “The Miracle of Christmas.”

“Music has always played a huge part of the celebration and emotion of Christmas,” says Chapman.  “Yet for so many millions of children around the world who are orphans, Christmas only highlights for them what they don’t have and so desperately want and need: a family.”  In his new album Chapman has captured the wonder and miracle of Christmas with a new collection of both original and traditional holiday favorites.  He explores the gift of family in the Christmas season and shares about his passion for God and for adoption.

Reviewer’s rating: 10/10

Breakdown of some of the tracks:

Track 1: Luke 2:7-14 As Told by Shaoey

Chapman takes a very personal start to this album by having his daughter, Shoahannah Hope, the oldest of his three adopted girls from China, read the Luke version of Jesus’ birth.

Track 2: Angels from the Realms of Glory

As Chapman is known to do, he takes this song and changes the melody around a bit, and changes it up to make a classic, well-loved song his own and still wonderful today.

Track 4: All I Really Want

An original song, written by Chapman to remind people that while Christmas is a joyful time, for so many orphans around the world it is one of the hardest times of the year.  This very powerful and moving song truly makes us think about the blessings that we have.

Track 5: The Miracle of Christmas

The second of the four original tracks on this CD, “The Miracle of Christmas,” highlights how God still speaks to us, just as he spoke to us that first Christmas night over 2000 years ago.

Track 6: Go Tell it on the Mountain

Like the other traditional carols on this album, Steven takes this one and makes it his own.  He adds a sort of jazzy feel to it that makes it a little bit more personal and fun.

Track 7: Christmas is All in the Heart (with Vince Gill)

This song is a new recording of this hit from Steven from 1995.

Track 8: Silver Bells

Another new, fun recording of the song written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans in 1950 for the movie The Lemon Drop Kid from Paramount Pictures.

Track 13: The Night Before Christmas

The last of the original tracks on this album, this song is not your typical “’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house.”  Chapman redeems the title “The Night Before Christmas” with a moving song about the actual night before Christmas; the night before the first Christmas.

Track 14: Shaoey and Her Dad Wish You a Merry Christmas

Just as Steven starts the album off with his daughter Shaoey, he closes it with her too.  This final track is Steven and Shaoey singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

Other tracks on the album include:

-         I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

-         Winter Wonderland

-         God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

-         It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

-         O Little Town of Bethlehem

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Christmas: Celebration Around the World All I Really Want For Christmas Merry Christmas With Love Hikaru no Go