Carolyn Arends has released ten albums and three books. She has won 2 Dove Awards, garnered 3 Juno
nominations, and has been named Songwriter of the Year by the West Coast Music
Awards. Billboard Magazine has called
her “one of the most affecting communicators in any genre”. Carolyn has been a regular columnist for
Christianity Today and a college instructor at Pacific Life Bible College and
Columbia Bible College. Her debut album
I CAN HEAR YOU was a good one! That 1995
release included the songs ‘This is the Stuff’ and ‘Seize the Day’. Her first holiday album was 2004’s CHRISTMAS:
AN IRRATIONAL SEASON. Her latest is
CHRISTMAS: THE STORY OF STORIES (2014, 2B Records). It contains nine originals, three classics,
and a Rich Mullins cover. It was
produced by Arends and Roy Salmond, and largely funded via a highly successful
Kickstarter campaign.
A light pop song, ‘It Was a Holy Night’, may disturb some
traditionalists: “O little town of Bethlehem/I think it is a lie/That you were
still or dreamless/On that first Christmas night.../I think He cried the way
that babies do/I think His mama might have cried a little too/I bet you Joseph
didn’t have a clue what to do/He was new at fatherhood/So I don’t think it was
a silent night/I kind of doubt that all was calm that night”. ‘Vacancy’ contains these admissions many will
be able to relate to: “Seems like my Christmas cheer is hard to find this
year/I think it vanished in the Fall/Strange how a loss or two can eat away at
you/Until there’s not much left at all”.
Another light pop song, ‘Everything Changes at Christmas’, reflects on
the importance of the nativity: “Well, if the shepherds were not wrong/If there
was an angel song/If God planned this all along/Everything changes at
Christmas/Cause if that was the Savior’s birth/That means God thought we were
worth/Whatever it took to bring love down to earth/So everything changes at
Christmas”.
‘Christmas Magic’ is a great ballad that includes these
heartfelt words: “Come all ye faithful, there’s room at the table/And there is
a gift for everyone/Friends, the whole reason we need this season/Is to help us
remember, joy can still come/To a world often troubled and tragic/So bring on
the old Christmas magic”. ‘God Rest Ye
Merry Gentlemen’ is presented in country and bluegrass fashion. It opens with some good news: ”God rest ye
merry gentlemen/Let nothing you dismay/Remember Christ our Savior/Was born on
Christmas day/To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray/O
tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy/O tidings of comfort and joy”. ‘The Sound’ encourages us to practise
spiritual reflection: “Sometimes on a midnight clear/If we close our eyes we
begin to hear/A still, small voice saying ‘Christ is near’/Hush now, listen, that’s
the sound of the Kingdom coming.../The Kingdom coming to your town”.
‘It Came Upon the Midnight Clear’ is tender and beautiful
and includes these familiar words: “Peace on the earth, goodwill to men/From
heaven’s all gracious King!/The world in solemn stillness lay/To hear the
angels sing”. ‘You Gotta Get Up’ is a
happy, playful cover of a Rich Mullins song.
It reminds me of my childhood: “I thought Christmas day would never
come/It’s here at last, so mom and dad/The waiting’s finally done/And you gotta
get up/You gotta get up (2X)/It’s Christmas morning”. ‘Long Way to Go’ is a catchy original that
talks about just how awesome God’s love for us is: “People say that love has
limits/People just don’t know/How far the love that came at Christmas is prepared
to go/From realms of glory to bales of hay/What a long way to go/From King of
Heaven to tiny babe/What a long way to go/Goodness, gracious, glory be/God came
down to you and me/From a throne to a manger, to Calvary”.
‘Story of Stories’ is a lovely ballad that tells of God’s
perfect response to our sinfulness: “God has a love and the love
overcomes/Cause it comes down to live in our skin/Yeah, He makes His home in
the flesh and the bones.../He wants His family back/There’s just no stopping
His love.../He is the story of stories/He is the mystery of old/He is the glory
of glories/All that exists comes down to this newborn baby boy”. ‘What Kind of King’ reminds us Christ did not
come in the expected manner for royalty: “To have the ox and lamb/Attend His
coronation/What kind of King is this?/To bid the shepherds come/With just their
adoration/What kind of King is this?” ‘Dawn on Us’ zeros in on Jesus’ earthly
dad: “What was he thinking in the starlight?/Did he have time to think at
all?/A carpenter his whole life/Now he was a midwife/And then the shepherds
came to call/When Joseph held the newborn baby.../Was it all a blur, all too
much/Until at last, the sun came up?” ‘O
Come All Ye Faithful’ invites us to worship Jesus with all we have: “O come,
let us adore Him (3X)/Christ the Lord”.
Carolyn Arends lives in Surrey, British Columbia with her
husband Mark and their two kids, Benjamin and Bethany. In the liner notes Carolyn thanks “Pacific
Theatre and Blue Mountain Baptist Church, who provoked, inspired and
inaugurated so many of these songs”. On
this album, Carolyn provides vocals, acoustic guitars, piano, and ukulele. Spencer Capier plays mandolin, mandola,
guitar, violin, bouzouki, and sings.
Besides being a co-producer, Roy Salmond is responsible for organ,
electric guitar, glockenspiel, strum stick, hurdy gurdy, percussion, cello
arrangements and more. Other talented
folks on this album include: Julian MacDonough, Adam Thomas, Joel Strobbe, and
Gayle Salmond.
Carolyn Arends sings with a childlike innocence and a sense
of awe and wonder. The multiple
originals are well thought out and presented skillfully. Carolyn here has penned many songs that will
touch your heart and get you to look at Christmas with new eyes in a new
way. This is an instant classic you will
not be able to resist! I recommend it to
fans of Cheri Keaggy, Sarah McLachlan, and Cindy Morgan. I’m rating CHRISTMAS: THE STORY OF STORIES
95%. For more info visit: www.carolynarends.com.