PRAYZEHYMN Online | where gospel music lives [Trin-i-tee 5:7

Trin-i-tee 5:7
Love, Peace, Joy at Christmas
(SPIRIT RISING/MUSIC WORLD: US: 26 OCT 2009)

Producers:
Bama Boyz, Matthew Knowles

Track Listing:
Give Love on Christmas Day
Mary Did You Know
The Christmas Song
White Christmas
O Holy Night
Silent Night
Joy to the World
Little Drummer Boy
Welcome to Our World
Winter Wonderland
This Christmas (ft./ Brian Courtney Wilson)

Track Picks: Welcome to Our World, Little Drummer Boy, The Christmas Song

Trin-i-tee 5:7
Love, Peace, Joy at Christmas

Traditional spice, occasional urban tweaks on holiday favorites embrace gospel trio's first holiday set

With Mathew Knowles’ hand of blessing, Trin-i-tee 5:7 morphed into a silky Christian alternative of Destiny’s Child. The metamorphosis even included some new wardrobe expansions, some heavy beats from the Bama Boyz and direct ties with the Beyonce’-Solange brand. But the new changes don’t get in the way of holiday traditional lures on their first Christmas project, Love, Peace, Joy at Christmas. The three most memorable gifts of the Spirit bear a wonderful, catchy look on Trin-i-tee 5:7's holiday album - especially since the three gifts match the angelic, modelesque imagery of their photo shoot. Deep into the album, the girls rally around familiar traditions and very familiar holiday favorites including “O Holy Night” and “The Christmas Song.”Some of the renditions handled by the Bama Boyz get a few urban touch-ups including “Mary Did You Know” and the ever-popular Jackson 5 classic “Give Love on Christmas Day.” When the Bama Boyz abandon familiarity, they deliver better results like on “Little Drummer Boy,” where the trio hum to African rhythms and muted Scottish bagpipes. Only one original work makes its way into the festive set: the piano-serenading “Welcome to Our World.” While very much distanced from the heavyhitting urban grooves of their heyday, it’s the album’s biggest noteworthy feature.

Half of the songs including their short rendition of “Winter Wonderland” and “Silent Night” are also live performances taken from a Gospel Music Channel holiday special. They fit perfectly into the set - containing a glorious production and a glossy acoustic feel. Best showcased of them all is their contemporary jazz layout of “The Christmas Song;” bearing something of a lounge-like Lalah Hathaway performance. Much of these live features showcase a brilliance in their individual solos, but there’s an obvious lack of vocal arrangements from the trio. Those absent harmonies, leaving behind a sudden emptiness, plague Christmas from matching their previous works.

Some of the musical arrangements are quite generic, but it still offers good listening - especially when matched up with most urban outfits like the overrated Very Special Christmas compilations. A companion DVD, taken from the GMC special, even more attractive to purchase a hard copy.