Let It Snow Baby, Let it Reindeer, Relient K (Capitol)

Updated entry: These guys are Christian rockers, and this album came out originally in 2003, minus seven new cuts, on Gotee as Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand. As with a lot of today's Christian acts, you can't really tell from a cursory listen; only on the original ballad "I Celebrate the Day" do you get any explicit Savior talk. Much of this 2007 CD is thrashed-out carols like "Angels We Have Heard on High," "Deck the Halls," "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," "Hallelujah Chorus" and "Nuttin' For Christmas," very cleanly performed. Their pop sensibilities give us energetic covers of "12 Days of Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," along with a lounge-like "Sleigh Ride." Other originals include "Santa Claus is Thumbing to Town," more frenetic tempos conveying the story of Santa's workshop burning down, and mellower items like "In Like a Lion (Always Winter)," "Boxing Day," a medley of "Silent Night/Away in a Manger" and the original "I Hate Christmas Parties," a downtempo relationship lament. They wrap up by doing a Four Freshmen version of "Auld Lang Syne," and on the new album there's a hidden cut with a bit of goofing around. The original was lots of energy, lots of fun; the extended version more of the same.