Mary, Did You Know?
Mark Lowry
--- by David Bruce Murray
Label: Gaither Music Group
Producers: Michael Sykes and Michael English
Songs: "Christmas Medley" (includes "Deck The Halls," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "Frosty The Snowman," "Up On The Housetop," and "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas"), "Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer," "Jingle Bell Rock," "The Christmas Song," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "Let There Be Peace On Earth," "How Did We Live Before Christmas?," "Manger Medley" (includes "Away In A Manger," "Silent Night, Holy Night," and "O Come, All Ye Faithful"), "Mary, Did You Know?," and "Hallelujah"
Mary, Did You Know? features Mark Lowry singing a collection of Chrismas classics. He has opted for a combined secular and sacred approach with the first half featuring songs like "Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer" and "The Christmas Song." The opening "Christmas Medley" is mostly instrumental with Lowry entering at the end to sing "Holly Jolly Christmas." Tracks like "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and "Jingle Bell Rock" are about what you'd expect, but Lowry seems to be holding back a bit with his signature comedic vocal flair.
After Santa reaches town, "Let There Be Peace On Earth" begins the transition to more serious fare. The track that follows is "How Did We Live Before Christmas?," a spoken narrative written by Lowry and the only new selection on the CD. It begins by reflecting on modern Christmas trends and comparing them to the period of history before Christ's birth. In the end, Lowry concludes "Christmas isn't gifts and toys or waiting on St. Nicholas. Christmas is a Savior's birth." Such sentiments, while very true, would be much more convincing if they didn't follow a series Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty songs.
On the other end of the spectrum, Lowry turns in an expressive vocal performance on "Let There Be Peace On Earth" and some tender moments on "Away In A Manger" that are over too soon. "Mary, Did You Know?" doesn't quite attain the moving emotional intensity found in previous versions of this song recorded by Lowry. The version he recorded on Still The Greatest Story Ever Told with the Gaither Vocal Band is still his personal best.
The grand scope of Christmas can't effectively be covered on one CD. Mary, Did You Know? tries, but it's very difficult to segue from visions of sugar plums to the manger scene. Also, too many cover tunes gives the project a rather generic flavor.
Now don't go away from this review thinking I'm saying this is a bad CD. I've been spoiled in the past by the creativity of Mark Lowry, so I naturally expected more from this release. It could have been better, but it certainly isn't bad. The music quality in particular is top notch with original orchestrations from Steve Mauldin and Dave Maddux. Gordon Mote assisted with arranging and plays some slick piano lines. The production team of Michaels (Sykes and English) consistently solicits the expertise of outstanding musicians and background vocalists.
There's nothing really unique about this CD to attract new fans, but existing Mark Lowry fans will want to consider purchasing Mary, Did You Know? I saw a Gaither ad offering this CD, a Homecoming Christmas title, and the new Signature Sound Christmas project for $44.95. Individually, it's listed at a $17.95 MSRP, which is a bit pricey compared to projects of similar quality. Maybe you can find it on sale.
3 1/2 Stars