Mark Harris talks about his new Christmas album with his daughter.
Updated Nov 30, 2009
Mark Harris
Christmas Is
For Mark Harris, former band member of 4Him, who over the course of fifteen years gave Christian music 22 No. 1 hits and received 8 Dove awards, Christmas is about giving to those who have less, celebrating with loved ones, and recognizing the beauty and the mystery Christ's birth. His first solo Christmas album, "Christmas Is," which will be released on October 6, 2009, speaks to the warmth of the season's true spirit.
When Harris stepped away from 4Him, the prospect of writing and performing songs from his heart, rather than as part of a collaborative project, was thrilling. "I always knew I wanted to do a Christmas project as a solo artist," he says. "I've always loved Christmas music and everything that goes with the holiday season, and my goal was to create a warm, intimate, simple production environment so that the music could be about the song itself."
Harris started the project slowly, quietly releasing five Christmas songs on an EP in 2008. The stripped-down acoustics of that Internet marketing campaign served as inspiration for "Christmas Is," a 10-song project that balances sacred and secular tunes in varied, but still familiar arrangements.
At the heart of the album is a back-to-basics approach to the Christmas season. Rather than joining in on the fanfare typical of most holiday collections, this album speaks to the joy and intimacy of the stable and the rich, personal celebrations of the family living room. "In concert, I want to feel like I am inviting listeners into my house to share a Christmas memory," he says. The songs' acoustic bones and Harris' strong, clear voice combine to create a well-balanced album that is at once uplifting, holy, prayerful and high-spirited.
Although Harris recorded "Christmas Is" in late spring and early summer, he and Luke Denton, the budding talent who produced and mixed the CD, kept the air conditioning frigid in their windowless recording studio. But even if it weren't for the cold air and his imagination, Harris was able to maintain the holiday spirit because of the goal he'd set for the project. He says, "We knew the heart behind what we were trying to accomplish with this record, which was to help people celebrate and enjoy what the season is truly about. I was reminded of that throughout the recording process."
As a lover of classic Christmas music, Harris wanted to maintain tradition while also striking out with new arrangements of old songs and his own original compositions. "I love ‘O Holy Night,' for example," he says. "But I wanted the song to be unique to the way we would do it." Harris captured the simplicity and truth in "O Holy Night" song with piano, rather than brass or choral accompaniment, saying, "I love the innocence of that melody and wanted to keep it true."
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" receives a lift in "Christmas Is." Rather than producing the song in its traditional slow, plaintive manner, Harris wrote a more spirited, upbeat arrangement. The song's light, catchy interpretation captures the hope and high spirits of the season while maintaining the familiarity listeners crave during Christmas.
For Harris, one of the most rewarding aspects of recording "Christmas Is" was the opportunity to sing with his thirteen year old daughter, Maddison. The day before he went into the studio to record the CD's title track, he decided he didn't want to sing the song alone. Maddison had been leading First Priority, a worship service at her school, and Harris had noticed her voice's growing strength; having her sing "Christmas Is" with him "made the album," he says, "because the innocence in the message of the song came through her voice."
In just one session, Maddison made a pitch-perfect recording. "She wasn't trying to go in there and sing perfectly," continues Harris. "Her whole goal that night was to get back home and get her homework done."
When the song was released on the EP last Christmas, it was an immediate hit.
While Maddison has been surrounded by the music industry all her life, becoming a part of it, herself, was unexpected. "I have never pushed my kids into music," says Harris. "Maddison has a beautiful tone - she's got something really special - but the first time she ever sang on stage was last Christmas, because people wanted to hear her sing ‘Christmas Is.' She recognizes what a privilege it is to have that opportunity."
Because Harris' ultimate goal in creating "Christmas Is" was to preserve the warmth and innocence of the Christmas season, he and Denton spent most of their time in the studio stripping each song to its studs. With every recording, they scaled back the instrumentation and the production, often doing four or five takes of the same song.
"Emmanuel," the album's biggest sounding song, proved to be the most challenging to scale back, but in time Harris and Denton found a balance for it that worked with the rest of the album, resulting in a track that sounds celebratory, but not jolting. Giving "Silent Night" a new tune allowed Harris to lend his own soothing, hopeful interpretation to the Christmas classic. Threads of "Angels We Have Heard On High" give traditional lines to Harris' "Caroler's Song," and the altered rhythms of "The Little Drummer Boy" allowed Harris to lend more movement to the song while maintaining its familiar sound.
Harris's genuine love of Christmas music and everything that goes with the holiday season inspired his song choices for the album. "Christmas is about tradition and great memories and all the things we love and hold dear," he says. "I wanted to keep it sweet and simple and accessible for the listeners."
This meticulous attention to each cut resulted in music Harris could own. "I think the one thing that I really felt good about on this particular project," he says, "is that, at the end of the day, what matters is knowing who you are and trusting that you have been commissioned to do the project you are doing." He continues, "This Christmas album came from a very honest place where God had me, and I hope that as people listen to this record, they can feel they've had an encounter with God."
Christmas Is
For Mark Harris, former band member of 4Him, who over the course of fifteen years gave Christian music 22 No. 1 hits and received 8 Dove awards, Christmas is about giving to those who have less, celebrating with loved ones, and recognizing the beauty and the mystery Christ's birth. His first solo Christmas album, "Christmas Is," which will be released on October 6, 2009, speaks to the warmth of the season's true spirit.
When Harris stepped away from 4Him, the prospect of writing and performing songs from his heart, rather than as part of a collaborative project, was thrilling. "I always knew I wanted to do a Christmas project as a solo artist," he says. "I've always loved Christmas music and everything that goes with the holiday season, and my goal was to create a warm, intimate, simple production environment so that the music could be about the song itself."
Harris started the project slowly, quietly releasing five Christmas songs on an EP in 2008. The stripped-down acoustics of that Internet marketing campaign served as inspiration for "Christmas Is," a 10-song project that balances sacred and secular tunes in varied, but still familiar arrangements.
At the heart of the album is a back-to-basics approach to the Christmas season. Rather than joining in on the fanfare typical of most holiday collections, this album speaks to the joy and intimacy of the stable and the rich, personal celebrations of the family living room. "In concert, I want to feel like I am inviting listeners into my house to share a Christmas memory," he says. The songs' acoustic bones and Harris' strong, clear voice combine to create a well-balanced album that is at once uplifting, holy, prayerful and high-spirited.
Although Harris recorded "Christmas Is" in late spring and early summer, he and Luke Denton, the budding talent who produced and mixed the CD, kept the air conditioning frigid in their windowless recording studio. But even if it weren't for the cold air and his imagination, Harris was able to maintain the holiday spirit because of the goal he'd set for the project. He says, "We knew the heart behind what we were trying to accomplish with this record, which was to help people celebrate and enjoy what the season is truly about. I was reminded of that throughout the recording process."
As a lover of classic Christmas music, Harris wanted to maintain tradition while also striking out with new arrangements of old songs and his own original compositions. "I love ‘O Holy Night,' for example," he says. "But I wanted the song to be unique to the way we would do it." Harris captured the simplicity and truth in "O Holy Night" song with piano, rather than brass or choral accompaniment, saying, "I love the innocence of that melody and wanted to keep it true."
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" receives a lift in "Christmas Is." Rather than producing the song in its traditional slow, plaintive manner, Harris wrote a more spirited, upbeat arrangement. The song's light, catchy interpretation captures the hope and high spirits of the season while maintaining the familiarity listeners crave during Christmas.
For Harris, one of the most rewarding aspects of recording "Christmas Is" was the opportunity to sing with his thirteen year old daughter, Maddison. The day before he went into the studio to record the CD's title track, he decided he didn't want to sing the song alone. Maddison had been leading First Priority, a worship service at her school, and Harris had noticed her voice's growing strength; having her sing "Christmas Is" with him "made the album," he says, "because the innocence in the message of the song came through her voice."
In just one session, Maddison made a pitch-perfect recording. "She wasn't trying to go in there and sing perfectly," continues Harris. "Her whole goal that night was to get back home and get her homework done."
When the song was released on the EP last Christmas, it was an immediate hit.
While Maddison has been surrounded by the music industry all her life, becoming a part of it, herself, was unexpected. "I have never pushed my kids into music," says Harris. "Maddison has a beautiful tone - she's got something really special - but the first time she ever sang on stage was last Christmas, because people wanted to hear her sing ‘Christmas Is.' She recognizes what a privilege it is to have that opportunity."
Because Harris' ultimate goal in creating "Christmas Is" was to preserve the warmth and innocence of the Christmas season, he and Denton spent most of their time in the studio stripping each song to its studs. With every recording, they scaled back the instrumentation and the production, often doing four or five takes of the same song.
"Emmanuel," the album's biggest sounding song, proved to be the most challenging to scale back, but in time Harris and Denton found a balance for it that worked with the rest of the album, resulting in a track that sounds celebratory, but not jolting. Giving "Silent Night" a new tune allowed Harris to lend his own soothing, hopeful interpretation to the Christmas classic. Threads of "Angels We Have Heard On High" give traditional lines to Harris' "Caroler's Song," and the altered rhythms of "The Little Drummer Boy" allowed Harris to lend more movement to the song while maintaining its familiar sound.
Harris's genuine love of Christmas music and everything that goes with the holiday season inspired his song choices for the album. "Christmas is about tradition and great memories and all the things we love and hold dear," he says. "I wanted to keep it sweet and simple and accessible for the listeners."
This meticulous attention to each cut resulted in music Harris could own. "I think the one thing that I really felt good about on this particular project," he says, "is that, at the end of the day, what matters is knowing who you are and trusting that you have been commissioned to do the project you are doing." He continues, "This Christmas album came from a very honest place where God had me, and I hope that as people listen to this record, they can feel they've had an encounter with God."
Originally published November 30, 2009.
