Music to remind us of mystery - Amy Grant's Christmas albums

Music to Remind Us of Mystery - Amy Grant's Christmas albums
National Catholic Reporter, Dec 24, 1999 by Robin Taylor

I am a pushover for Christmas music. I confess that it makes up a good portion of my CD collection. Old songs mostly, but new ones, too. I'm always happy when I hear it piped over the grocery store speakers, even if it's barely past Halloween.

While much of Christian music is fluffy, sunshiny and gives me a headache, Christmas songs transcend all that. They always remind me of mystery, of holiness, of a miracle that ripped through time and changed the world forever.

One of my favorite Christmas artists is Amy Grant. "A Christmas Album," her first seasonal offering, was released in 1983 while I was in high school. That cassette is still in my car today. Her version of "Angels We Have Heard on High" never fails to move me. Grant's second Christmas album, "Home for Christmas," followed in 1992 and contained the marvelous "My Grown-Up Christmas List."

She has just released her third Christmas album, "A Christmas to Remember." It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Christmas albums chart and is currently at No. 5, behind powerhouses Garth Brooks and Kenny G. It has also fared well on the mainstream Billboard album chart, rising so far to No. 36.