Today’s Christmas Present pick is by a Christian artist with a beautiful voice and a great musical aesthetic, Brandon Heath.  His 2009 original “The Night Before Christmas” has been on my playlist since its release, a song that, while slower on the spectrum, invokes a beautiful mood.

The song was released as a single, and it was included at the time as part of a larger compilation of various artists on the Reunion label, of which he’s signed. It was a standout track, but surprisingly didn’t lead to a full album at the time.

Additional listening

Heath finally released his first proper Christmas album this year, “Christmas is Here.”  Surprisingly, “The Night Before Christmas” isn’t on here, but other gems are, including the above, “Momma Wouldn’t Lie to Me.”

I first became familiar with Heath thanks to his 2008 track “Give Me Your Eyes,” which came off his second album, “What If We.”  The midtempo track is a nice love song with an equally compelling video.