::ALBUM REVIEW::

Seems like the popular WOW series never ceases to find the next step on how to keep its run alive and eventful. Known for being one of the best -selling gospel compilations ever, the WOW Gospel series continues to elevate its gigantic scale of united talent from a roster of artists emerging from the EMI, Word/Curb and Zomba/Verity camps. And while the Now That’s What I Call Music! series - WOW’s obvious source of unoriginal inspiration, has since stepped into producing incredible Christmas sets and compilations, the WOW family has now decided to release its holiday double-CD set. Let it be said that WOW, whom had already released two CCM-catered holiday compilations in 2002 and 2005, finally felt it was the appropriate time to assemble a R&B/urban-tinged collection directly targeting the black gospel community. The end result, WOW Gospel Christmas, is a thirty-track compilation (the front label says thirty-two, but there’s thirty assembled) gathering up a Who’s who in today’s gospel music, even if half of the album’s selections aren’t even holiday-ish.

Before addressing the album’s greatest concern, the project does offer recent and modern selections that may satisfy gospel audiences. Usually the gospel version of WOW divides the double-disc set up into urban and traditional sets. This time around, the songs are scattered up in one long super mix - as if the songs were just uploaded to just any iPod shuffle. CeCe Winans’ “Do You Hear What I Hear” opens the collection and offers a spirited, upbeat rendition of the Christian classic. Throughout the first disc, good inclusions such as Smokie Norful’s mediative “O Holy Night”, Richard Smallwood’s original “O What A Night”, Vanessa Bell Armstrong’s sweet rendition of “Mary Did You Know” and the rocking Cedric Thompson arrangement of “Go Tell It On The Mountain” featuring LaShun Pace. Though they are still considered to be recent, most of the better songs selected were gathered from 2006's The Christmas To Remember release and fall short from meeting “classic” status as the album’s headline suggests. The second disc does a better job in assembling more of the classics with inclusions such as Kirk Franklin’s popular holiday classic “Now Behold The Lamb”, John P. Kee’s “No Christmas Without You” and Hezekiah Walker’s infectious “Born To Die.” Other highlights include Take 6's vocal arrangement of “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” and Shirley Caesar’s interpretation of “What Child Is This?” which is set to a smooth jazz style reminiscent of Sade. The second disc’s opener, Israel & New Breed’s “O Come”, is one of the brilliant choices for the disc while it incorporates a fresh, funky vibe reminiscent of modern gospel and contains the hefty guitar sample from Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something.”

But the biggest flaw surrounding WOW Gospel Christmas is its poor work ethic in including holiday favorites and, most importantly, songs that have a holiday nature to it. While most holiday songs don’t have to possess bells, chimes and the usual festive energy, it is a disaster to incorporate songs that barely possess a holiday message or greeting within the lyrical foundations. Songs like Donnie McClurkin’s “Agnus Dei”, Kurt Carr's "Holy Holy Holy" and Marvin Sapp’s “Glory To The Lamb” are worship selections that don’t even come close to feeling like Christmas standards. Donald Lawrence’s “Lamb” focuses more on Christ’s crucifixion rather than his birth. And the list continues to grow with Dijon’s “Great Is Our God” and Mandisa’s softly executed “God Speaking.” Nothing within the lyrics declare anything pertaining to the holiday season or the Christmas story.

Sadly, we expect gospel audiences to purchase the disc anyhow just because of the WOW sticker alone. But a word of caution needs to be placed on the front stating that the disc is far from being an accurate depiction of gospel’s greatest Christmas songs. Better holiday choices from gospel’s finest are silenced here - such as music from previously released collections from Donald Lawrence, Norman Hutchins, Mary Mary, Dottie Peoples, Sounds of Blackness, Yolanda Adams. Even a few add-ins from mainstream talent like Destiny’s Child or one of the holiday-seasoned cuts from Whitney Houston’s “The Preacher’s Wife” would have spiced up the collection some. In the end, WOW Gospel Christmas feels like an uninspired rush job appropriately constructed by the big labels just to cash in on the consumer-friendly black market during the holiday season. If you are looking for better organized compilations, you may draw fantastic inspiration from Verity’s The Real Meaning of Christmas Vol. 1, 2 and 3 or EMI Gospel’s The Christmas To Remember.