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  A Joy Cubed Christmas: A Concert at the Cathedral International From the creative offices of Joy Cubed Music comes this contemporary seasonal  project, laced with spoken scripture, and filled with some fine work from both nationally-known Gospel voices and some lesser known, but equally as compelling.Bishop Donald Hilliard Jr., Senior Pastor of The Cathedral International in New Jersey, spearheads the project, guiding its 18 tracks by way of an assortment of spoken word tracks and song intros, most of them direct readings from scripture. The bishop's solemn tone sets the proper vibe for the album, framing the contemporary sounds that follow in the appropriate holiday perspective. But that's not to say that the accompanying music is staid! With Joe "Flip" Wilson at production control, there's plenty of innovation to dig into, starting with an unusual treament of "Silent Night". With jazz injections at both the instrumental and the vocal level, the piece features Bishop Hilliard's daughter, Leah Hilliard. Praise & worship's Stephen Hurd lends his voice to the advent carol, "O Come Emmanuel". Smooth strings combined with Jeff Davis' rapid-patter snare motif is layered under Hurd's smooth rendering of this favorite. SOP director and vocalist Natalie Wilson sings "O Come All Ye Faithful", smoothly rendering the song of adoration over some choice harmonies from a small vocal crew. There's just a touch of departure here from the carol's traditional melody to make things interesting.
Nix also writes on the album, penning "The Time Is Christmas", sung by former R&B singer Jesse Campbell. Celebratory in theme, the song moves with a laid-back groove, helped by Campbell's buttery, soulful delivery. Campbell also appears on "Chestnuts". Another highpoint is the infectious "Carol Of The Bells", with Tiffany Morriar out front. Stacked harmonies, seasonal sound effects and a looping melody set to a lightly urban track, together with Morriar's appealing vocal style and phrasing give the piece plenty of memory stick. Annette Coward's balladry on "No Man Is An Island" also stands out, as does the contrasting traditional vibe of Doretha Sims' "Hark The Herald Angels Sing", and Orsilla Josey's work on "Oh Holy Night". The album concludes with "Jesus! The Light Of The World", an organ-anchored interpretation with several lyrical elements from varied Christmas songs grafted into the traditional and familiar melody of the song. A Joy Cubed Christmas: A Concert at the Cathedral Internationalis more than a welcome addition to the sounds festooning this Christmas season.  There are song snippets available from the album. If you don't have RealAudio, be sure to obtain your free RealAudio player software first, by clicking on the blue RealAudio icon on the right. To download the song snippets, simply click on the highlighted text below, let stream on RealAudio, and enjoy.
Email This To A Friend Joy Cubed Music — reviewed by Stan North —
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