1. O Come, All Ye Faithful
2. O Holy Night
3. What Child Is This?
4. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
5. Silent Night
6. We Three Kings
7. I Wonder As I Wander
8. The Wexford Carol
AMAZON
iTUNES
CD BABY
JOHNSON ROBERTS ON FACEBOOK
2. O Holy Night
3. What Child Is This?
4. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
5. Silent Night
6. We Three Kings
7. I Wonder As I Wander
8. The Wexford Carol
AMAZON
iTUNES
CD BABY
JOHNSON ROBERTS ON FACEBOOK
Johnson Roberts and his wife Lee Ann spend most of their time making other people sound good. As a songwriter, arranger and musician, Johnson has had a hand in numerous projects in the Music City, as has Lee Ann as a vocalist. You can hear the fruits of their efforts on albums from such well-known artists as Julie Lee, Point of Grace and the Newsboys. And, just last year, Johnson served as co-producer, arranger and musician for Jessie Kol’s brilliant “Little Emmanuel”, giving the Jazz artist’s set an organic feel and just enough rustic tinting to separate “Little Emmanuel” from the multitude of Jazz vocal holiday albums on the market (of course, he couldn’t have achieved that without Kol being a truly extraordinary singer to begin with).
For all their efforts on other records, Johnson and Lee Ann had never had the opportunity to collaborate on a project. “Good People All, This Christmas Time” gave them that opportunity. They also invited Lee Holland—another talented Nashville producer and musician, and good friend—to help create this Christmas record.
I was looking forward to listening to “Good People All, This Christmas Time”, having been intrigued by the 30 second clips on Amazon. Forget them. They do not do this album justice at all. There’s a quote on Johnson Roberts’ Facebook page that reads: “If you’ve ever wanted to hear instruments speak, listen to the music of Johnson Roberts.” I had thought that to be hyperbole but it turns out to be an understatement.
That the musicianship on “Good People All, This Christmas Time” is some of the finest I’ve ever heard is only a part of the story. Roberts is magnificent on the violin and Holland seems to play every instrument known to man with ease. The music lives, though, because it is infused with the souls of its creators. And I am sure they would tell you that that is because they put into the music all that God put into them. “Good People All, This Christmas Time” is some of the finest Appalachian/Roots/Americana Christmas music you’re likely to encounter, but it is also one of the most honest, authentic and uplifting worship albums I’ve ever heard.
Musically, the album begins with an instrumental rendering of “O Come, All Ye Faithful”. Starting slow and simple, the music builds like a stairway to heaven (take that any way you want) and we are treated to some remarkable picking from Mr. Holland and some equally agile violin playing from Mr. Roberts as they wrench more emotion and jubilation from that song than I even knew was there. If you have any affinity toward Christmas music whatsoever, you’ll love this interpretation of this classic carol.
“O Holy Night” isn’t the “O Holy Night” you’re familiar with, but rather an original worship song written by Johnson and Lee Ann Roberts. In a way, “O Holy Night” is the album in microcosm, reworking old concepts into something unquestionably fresh and new. And it is nearly impossible not to be moved as Lee Ann’s voice soars.
“What Child Is This” and “I Wonder As I Wander” feature the vocals of Lee Holland. Holland sings with a bit of a Rod McKuen rasp, but his vocals are loaded with a kind of sincerity and genuine love that Mr. McKuen could never have approached.
“Silent Night” is reworked, here, into a gentle and rhythmic folk number. The repeated refrain “Sleep in heavenly peace. The world will come soon enough” is incredibly affecting.
“We Three Kings”, the album’s second instrumental, recalls the best of David Grissman’s and Bela Fleck’s work in organic acoustic jazz.
“The Wexford Carol”, from whence comes the album’s title, closes it out in appropriately glorious fashion, with more exquisite musicianship from Johnson and Lee and more soaring vocals from Lee Ann.
Because I love and write about Christmas music, I get a lot of questions about my faith. Not to disappoint anyone, but it isn’t about that for me, in the main. I relate to Christmas music as music, first and foremost. But neither am I without faith or soul. And a Christmas album that reaches me so profoundly on that level is both rare and wonderful.
“Good People All, This Christmas Time” works on so many levels that I’ve barely scratched the surface. It is wonderful music for music’s sake. The album is beauty in its simplicity, handcrafted with love. It’s raw, but it’s real. But, most especially, this album can cut through all the scar tissue on your heart, set a spark in your soul, renew and refresh your faith, and lift you up spiritually…if you’re willing.
If you're lucky enough to live in certain parts of Tennessee, you may come across one of the few hard copy CDs that are being distributed locally. Otherwise, you'll find the album in digital form available at iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, Spotify, and other download distributors.
For all their efforts on other records, Johnson and Lee Ann had never had the opportunity to collaborate on a project. “Good People All, This Christmas Time” gave them that opportunity. They also invited Lee Holland—another talented Nashville producer and musician, and good friend—to help create this Christmas record.
I was looking forward to listening to “Good People All, This Christmas Time”, having been intrigued by the 30 second clips on Amazon. Forget them. They do not do this album justice at all. There’s a quote on Johnson Roberts’ Facebook page that reads: “If you’ve ever wanted to hear instruments speak, listen to the music of Johnson Roberts.” I had thought that to be hyperbole but it turns out to be an understatement.
That the musicianship on “Good People All, This Christmas Time” is some of the finest I’ve ever heard is only a part of the story. Roberts is magnificent on the violin and Holland seems to play every instrument known to man with ease. The music lives, though, because it is infused with the souls of its creators. And I am sure they would tell you that that is because they put into the music all that God put into them. “Good People All, This Christmas Time” is some of the finest Appalachian/Roots/Americana Christmas music you’re likely to encounter, but it is also one of the most honest, authentic and uplifting worship albums I’ve ever heard.
Musically, the album begins with an instrumental rendering of “O Come, All Ye Faithful”. Starting slow and simple, the music builds like a stairway to heaven (take that any way you want) and we are treated to some remarkable picking from Mr. Holland and some equally agile violin playing from Mr. Roberts as they wrench more emotion and jubilation from that song than I even knew was there. If you have any affinity toward Christmas music whatsoever, you’ll love this interpretation of this classic carol.
“O Holy Night” isn’t the “O Holy Night” you’re familiar with, but rather an original worship song written by Johnson and Lee Ann Roberts. In a way, “O Holy Night” is the album in microcosm, reworking old concepts into something unquestionably fresh and new. And it is nearly impossible not to be moved as Lee Ann’s voice soars.
“What Child Is This” and “I Wonder As I Wander” feature the vocals of Lee Holland. Holland sings with a bit of a Rod McKuen rasp, but his vocals are loaded with a kind of sincerity and genuine love that Mr. McKuen could never have approached.
“Silent Night” is reworked, here, into a gentle and rhythmic folk number. The repeated refrain “Sleep in heavenly peace. The world will come soon enough” is incredibly affecting.
“We Three Kings”, the album’s second instrumental, recalls the best of David Grissman’s and Bela Fleck’s work in organic acoustic jazz.
“The Wexford Carol”, from whence comes the album’s title, closes it out in appropriately glorious fashion, with more exquisite musicianship from Johnson and Lee and more soaring vocals from Lee Ann.
Because I love and write about Christmas music, I get a lot of questions about my faith. Not to disappoint anyone, but it isn’t about that for me, in the main. I relate to Christmas music as music, first and foremost. But neither am I without faith or soul. And a Christmas album that reaches me so profoundly on that level is both rare and wonderful.
“Good People All, This Christmas Time” works on so many levels that I’ve barely scratched the surface. It is wonderful music for music’s sake. The album is beauty in its simplicity, handcrafted with love. It’s raw, but it’s real. But, most especially, this album can cut through all the scar tissue on your heart, set a spark in your soul, renew and refresh your faith, and lift you up spiritually…if you’re willing.
If you're lucky enough to live in certain parts of Tennessee, you may come across one of the few hard copy CDs that are being distributed locally. Otherwise, you'll find the album in digital form available at iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, Spotify, and other download distributors.
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