Prime Cuts: Shout for Joy, Little Drummer Boy, O Holy Night (Another Hallelujah)

Lincoln Brewster is a trailblazer.  "Joy to the World," Brewster's eighth album, is further evidence that this Alaska native would not be bound by the sonic restrains of Contemporary Christian Music's genre.  Though this album is marketed as a Christmas project, it is far from what one would expect from the copious festive offerings out there.  Pushing the envelope to include a rap praise shout, a showy orchestral display of instrumental carol montage, a couple of worship classics donned with Christmas garb, and a few electrified rock offerings of traditional carols, Brewster shows that Christmas songs are more than just sleigh bells jingled muzak.  Further, in the dictum of many music reviewers, Brewster bears a striking resemblance to country star Keith Urban. Just like Urban who could successfully cross pollinate genres satisfying his country fans without alienating those accustomed to pop music, Brewster has a way of connecting the traditionalists who want a religiously unwavering rendition of the carols as well as those who want a more contemporary flair.  Like the country artist, Brewster would not let a track go by without some display of his virtuoso as a guitarist. And vocally both gentlemen have a gift of bending their light distinctive tenor to a populist utility.  The only difference being that Urban would stuff his catalog with bedroom ballads and open-highway tunes while Brewster's is unabashedly worship centric with God at the cynosure.

Most interesting in this corpus of songs is the way Brewster gives a couple of regular worship anthems a Christmas reading.  The first of which is the Paul Baloche, Jason Ingram and Brewster co-write "Shout for Joy"-a track lifted out of Brewster's previous album "Real Life."  A Christmas makeover for this worship ballad is observed by its chiming bells, stirring keyboard and a newly written Christmas verse added to this ode of joyous praise to the coming of the Savior.  Arguably the best rendition of Chris Tomlin's hugely popular "Our God" is by Hillsong's matriarch Darlene Zschech when she led a powerful rendition of it this year at Hillsong's annual conference in Australia.  In an effort to commemorate the season, the only notable amendment was for Brewster to tag on the line "O Come Let Us Adore Him" to the bridge.  Considering Brewster's love to improvise, one would have wished that more was done to morph the song into a festive worship chorus.

Brewster really pushes the envelope with "Little Drummer Boy."  With thrilling rock guitar riffs, hip hop drum beats and a rap by KJ-52, "Little Drummer Boy" becomes a delightful potpourri of genres coming together in giving glory to the baby Jesus.  "Miraculum," on the other hand, overturns all expectations again.  An over six minute instrumental medley of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "O Come O Come Emmanuel" and "Carol of the Bells," this song finds Brewster at his finest moment with his finest guitar work at the fore backed by a beautiful orchestra.  Another uncharacteristic move is to tag "O Holy Night" with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."  On paper, it might not seem to work.  But on record, Cohen's "Hallelujah" actually adds a worshipful response to the glorious work of Jesus Christ starting at his birth proclaimed in the hymn "O Holy Night."

The Keith Urban connection is the strongest on album opener "Joy to the World."  A jaunty guitar driven rocker with flashes of country rock, "Joy to the World" reminds us in glowingly holiness that though our world is filled with destruction and sin "he (Jesus) (still) rules the world with truth and grace." Brewster shows us again and again through his trailblazing ways that Christmas is about Jesus.  He is our joy even though wrong may seem to triumphant and evil may seem prevalent.  And this disc is perfect soundtrack for us to utilize this Christmas to worship Him and thank Him for Jesus truly is our unspeakable joy.