{{Avalon}} has become one of the most popular groups in Contemporary Christian music. From their arrival on the scene, their pop harmony has been creating fans across the country and around the world. With one Gold record and another nearing the Gold designation, the four-member group has joined with Sparrow Records to prepare its first Christmas project - Joy.
Scheduled to hit the streets on September 26th, Joy sees {{Avalon}} continuing to broaden their music spectrum and distinguish itself through dynamic performance and mass appeal songs. Produced by Brown Bannister and accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra, the album combines ageless Christmas favorites paired with songs that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
Two familiar names from pop music had input into Joy. The first radio single, "Don't Save It All For Christmas," was co-written by Grammy Award winner and pop favorite Celine Dion while pop diva Mariah Carey penned "Jesus, Born On This Day".
After listening to this project for the past two days, it is a pleasant blend of traditional and new songs. The group swings with a hot, big-band jazz arrangement of "Winter Wonderland" and a unique medley of angel songs are featured in "The Angels Medley" written from an angel's perspective.
The group covers {{David Meece}}'s "We Are The Reason" and provides a haunting, thought-provoking arrangement of "Good News".
According to Grant Cunningham, Vice President, A&R, Sparrow Records, at the project's initiation, Avalon was compelled to make a recording that would reach beyond the holiday season.
"Before a song was chosen or any music recorded, we sat down to discuss the opportunity to make a Christmas record," said Cunningham. "None of us wanted to record Christmas music to just record Christmas music. We only wanted to do this if it could be something really special for us and for the public.
"Avalon asked themselves, 'How can we make a record that will make a difference for the remaining 11 months in the year, and not just at Christmas?"
To support the Christmas album, Avalon will be touring heavily during the holiday season. Throughout November, {{Avalon}} will be headlining their "Don't Save It All For Christmas" Tour in 15 cities across the U.S and will be joined by label mate Russ Lee (formerly with {{NewSong}}). They will then join the 20-city "Child Of The Promise" Tour that will hit 20 arenas nationwide between November 25 and December 16. In addition to Avalon, other Child Of The Promise cast members include Steven Curtis Chapman, Crystal Lewis, Russ Taff, Twila Paris and Rachel Lampa, among others.
by Barry Smades for The Music Channel at Crosswalk.com
