When Love First Cried, Sonicflood (Resonate)

Sonicflood is a Christian contemporary rock band with a Christmas album for 2009, and where many of the Christian acts in recent years have made their religious side less overt (probably to keep from being the band kids' parents tell them they ought to like), these guys keep the testimony front and center. Some of these songs were already part of a previous Sonicflood disc, A Heart Like Yours, including the Christmas disc's title song, "This Is Christmas," "Noel (Glory To Your Name)" and "Ring the Bells." They add originals "The Gift of Love" and "Hope Has Kissed the Earth" along with "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "O Come Emmanuel," "O Holy Night" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." The approach is shiny happy modern chart-friendly pop-rock, with flourishes that will remind you of acts from U2 to Bon Jovi. But it's no accident that they chose only antique carols to go with their originals; those songs, like their own, are heavy on the Biblical story of Christmas. A slight nod to the secular aspects of the holiday might have given the album a bit more variety in tone and approach. Nevertheless, their fan base will go big for this.