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| It's a Wonderful Christmas | 
 enlarge | Creators: Michael W. Smith, Christmas Traditional, David Hamilton, Skip Cleavinger, James Gregory, Craig Nelson, Paul Liem, Sam Bacco, Adam Lester
Label: Reunion
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $8.57
You Save: $5.41 (39%)
New (40) Used (10) from $7.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 758
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 10123
UPC: 602341012324
EAN: 0602341012324
ASIN: B000VS6P5A
Release Date: October 16, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Christmas Angels | | • | It's a Wonderful Christmas | | • | The Promise | | • | Song for the King | | • | Christmas Day | | • | A Highland Carol | | • | Sing Noel, Sing Hallelujah | | • | Son of God | | • | What Child Is This | | • | Audrey's Gift | | • | All Year Long |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
2007 holiday release from one of the most popular Contemporary Christian Music artists of all time. It's A Wonderful Christmas features nine original songs and one standard performed by Michael and a 67-piece orchestra, recorded at London's famous Abbey Road Studios. This album is perhaps the most anticipated seasonal release this year, so don't be left out in the cold without it! Columbia.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 A Third Wonderful Christmas Release October 16, 2007
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
Michael W. Smith has released two previous Christmas CDs, and they are staples of my December. This new release will be taking an honored place beside them in my December rotation.
This release is a combination of his two previous releases. It mixes the choral feeling of the first one with the pop of the second one. And, as something new, he mixes in lots of instrumental pieces. 5 of the 11 songs are fully instrumental. But the orchestra sounds wonderful.
What is truly amazing is that this release sounds Christmassy from start to finish from the very first listen. Only one track, "What Child is This" is a traditional piece. Michael wrote or co-wrote everything else. Yet everything feels like an old familiar friend.
Some of the instrumental tracks sound like the soundtrack to a movie. And one feels like a missing piece from the Nutcracker.
Of the other songs, most focus on the birth of Christ. They are wonderful choir pieces. "Christmas Day" focuses on our modern Christmas celebration, and it brings a smile to my face as I think about all the traditions. Finally, the disc closes with "All Year Long," a quiet song that wishes us the happiness of Christmas the rest of the year.
This is a great release. Buy it and enjoy it for Christmases to come.
 Another Great Christmas cd....Long Awaited...Amazing !!! October 16, 2007
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
It's A Wonderful Christmas WOW!! Well worth the wait. It has been almost 10 years since Michael W. Smith released "Christmas time". Michael's previous releases "Christmas" (in 1989) and "Christmastime" (in 1998) are standard Christmas music during Tree decorating and present wrapping at my home.
Both his previous releases are in my opinion are modern masterpieces. His new release does not disappoint. This release is a more epic,classical work with four amazing choirs, among them a 100-voice choir and also a 16-member London boy's choir directed by John Tobin, and a 67-piece orchestra at London's Abbey Road studios.
John Williams is one of Michael's hero's and it really comes though. The album has a "John Williams" feel interwoven in the tracks. In preparing for his new Christmas collection, he wanted to create an album with the lush arrangements and powerful orchestral sounds that he heard listening to his favorite Christmas records as a child. I have to agree, as I listen to this cd I am reminded of many Christmas memories and Imagery of the Christmas season.
Michael a master of blending and reinventing music to bring something new. I also appreciate the way he gives Christmas music profound reverence and respect. Tops most Christmas releases because of Michael's passion for music,giving it that Christmas feeling and epic sound. Michael has captured the Christmas spirit in this one!
The Album features 11 songs with nine original tracks.
"Christmas Day" featuring a duet with American Idol's Mandisa is amazing!
"What Child Is This" absolutely Beautiful!!
"All Year Long" another fantastic track!!
Wondering about "Audrey's Gift"? It is a song that he wrote at the last minute for his Granddaughter right before the album was released.
This Christmas release is one of the best in recent memory. It's a Wonderful Christmas is a must-have addition to any Christmas music buyer's collection. Curl up in front of the fireplace with this CD playing!
90% brand new Christmas Songs! November 24, 2007
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This may be the best 2007 Christmas release. 9 of the 10 songs on this CD are brand new and I suspect we'll be hearing a lot of these for the next few years. The songs with vocals have a great choral feel. The five instrumentals are beautifully orchestrated. Overall, this is a wonderfully listenable CD--even if you love the classic Christmas songs, these new ones feel as comfortable as my favorite slippers.
Good...not Great....Too Short in Length October 18, 2007
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
I am big Michael W. Smith fan so I was looking forward to his new Christmas effort. The music is good and has a John Williams "Home Alone" movie soundtrack sound to it in certain movements. The choral efforts and choruses are strong. Two major complaints keep this musical rating down. Some of the instrumentals could be part of any album because the sound is not a holiday sound, but it is called a Christmas song because it is on a Christmas album.....example....."Audrey's Gift." But my major complaint is this cd clocks in under 40 minutes. In a competitive music market where people decide to spend their hard earned dollars on an entire cd instead of down loading one or two songs, less than 40 minutes is too short for the price you pay. When I asked my wife what she thought of the cd after she listened to it, the first thing she said was, "it's too short."
Finishing on a high note, his song writing is pure genius for this type of material. No wonder his last studio effort before this Christmas cd "Stand" was the worst one he has done since he was a solo artist....all his passion, energy and talent was being directed to this worthy project whose finished product would be a good addition to anyone's Christmas music collection.
 A Bad Movie Soundtrack - Not Destined To Be A Classic December 20, 2007
5 out of 12 found this review helpful
Smith's first two Christmas CD's were decent but spotty. his takes on classics were dull remakes that we can can hear from dozens of other contemporary artists (Christian or not).
Both of his first two Christmas CDs however, featured some stellar material (sing we now of christmas, christmastime, all is well, emmanuel) that will stand as classics.
I cannot say the same for "It's A Wonderful Christmas."
After searching for a word to describe this effort, all I can come up with is "forced."
Seems like every tune has the formulaic strings build-up, moving into a "perfect" catchy piano, followed by the large chorale trying to sound angelic.
It's A Wonderful Christmas sounds like a bad movie soundtrack.
Writing potentially 'classic' new Christmas material must be very difficult. Not much comes around.
Smith has occasionally accomplished this task in previous works.
He missed big-time in this effort. It's A Wonderful Christmas is formulaic at best -- it will NOT stand the test of time.
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