Marvin Sapp “Christmas Card” Album Review

Prime Cuts: Feels Real Good, Christmas Card, Home for Christmas

You won't find Marvin Sapp's "Christmas Card" in the discounted bins at your local Dollar Store.  "Christian Card" is by no means one of those conveyor belt efforts.  Unlike many manufactured Christmas albums, here you won't find a haphazardly thrown together assembly of obligatory carols merely stamped by Sapp's signature vocal ilk.  In fact, none of these 12 tracks rings hollow with a predictable flair.  Creating his own labyrinth meandering round his own patented sound, Sapp weaves in his brand of urban Gospel, soothing R&B and even some rhythmic dance beats. "Christmas Card" is a sonic art of its own bearing its own creative copyright.  Sapp himself is a rare gem within Gospel music: he is one of the small hand-full of Christian artists to have a Platinum selling single when "Never Would Have Made It" sold in excess of a million copies.  And not since Kirk Franklin has there any Gospel artist who could place an album on the top spot of Billboard R&B and Gospel album charts. Even after Sapp lost his Malinda over to cancer, instead of being imbued with bitterness, Sapp returns to praising the Lord at his brightest with last year's number 1 album "I Win."  This year, he has graced us with his first Christmas album.

Instead of taking the easy way out of tackling one seasonal favorite after another, "Christmas Card" starts off with two originals.  With the kinetic energy often associated with Sapp's rousing Gospel numbers, Sapp unleashes his soul to the bouncy "Feels Real Good." Here Sapp litanies a host of reasons why he is excited about the season.  Never one to just retreat into archaic, the title cut "Christmas Card" features some crisp crackling drums and even some Auto-Tuning; this is one of those songs that will get Sapp's young fans bopping to. On the other hand, Sapp does not leave those who long for some familiar Christmas tunes in the lurch:  he does a soft rock ersatz read of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" quipped with some bustling electric guitar riffs.  Capitalizing on his crossover success, Sapp brings in R&B crooner Joe to sing with him on the joy of being family on the neo-Quiet- Storm-styled ballad "Home for Christmas."

Fans with a good memory may recall that Sapp first began his music career when he was invited by Fred Hammond to sing with the Commissioned.  They are back to sing with Sapp on two entries:  "What Child is This" and "Honor the King." Opening with a short introit of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," before a flurry of classic sounding violins, "Honor the King" is a harmony-layered worship piece that could work well in churches this advent season. Creativity bears its imprint with "Joseph's Song."  Though copious songs have exhausted Christmas from Mary's purview, Christmas' through Joseph's eyes is a rare treat. "Joseph's Song" is essentially a pensive ballad of surrender and worship to God who guides us even through our doubts and questions.  One can't help but feel that Sapp means every syllable here considering that he had just recently lost his own wife.  This song itself is the powerhouse of the record.  Though a little on the nondescript side in terms of its melody construction, Sapp is to be congratulated for getting out of his comfort with the funky "Dance"

Sapp has often described himself as a preacher who sings rather than a singer who preaches.  And we do see the preacher in Sapp arising with "Don't Get It Twisted."  Despite the funky reggae-lite tilt and some animated backings, "Don't Get It Twisted" is a homily fashioned into music where Sapp uses his tune to deliver his sermon of no forgetting the true meaning of Christmas.  In short, this isn't your typical 10 pack for the price of one Christmas card deal; every track here on this disc is individually crafted with the utmost creativity and care.  You won't find Sapp's "Christmas Card" in the discounted bins, rather, this is the type of disc you would find yourself return to again and again this Christmas in the worship of Jesus Christ.  

 

 

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