‘A Family Christmas’ by Jars of Clay and SHEL
I may be the only millennial who doesn’t listen to Spotify on a daily basis because I still prefer my iPod and owning physical media. Those habits change, however, as the holidays near, and I load up my eclectic and ever-growing Christmas playlist that has more than 40 hours of songs and a dozen or so genres.
I curate based on the album’s uniqueness (hello, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Jimmy Buffett and Sufjan Stevens), trim away a few repeats (I don’t need 20 different versions of “The Christmas Song”) and eliminate all recordings of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” I don’t care if in historical context it wasn’t a creepy song, it sounds creepy today and just frankly isn’t that great.
A new addition to the playlist this year is “A Family Christmas,” a six-track EP made by Christian rock band Jars of Clay and Colorado-born folk band SHEL. I don’t recall listening to Jars of Clays songs before, but having seen SHEL numerous times in Fort Collins and Alamosa, it’s safe to say they’re one of my favorite bands.
SHEL — which stands for the band members/sisters’ names of Sarah, Hannah, Eva and Liza Holbrook — has done a handful of Christmas tracks before, like “Toyland” and “I saw Three Ships,” but this EP adds a few more original songs along with classics.
The harmonies of the sisters and four men on “Auld Lang Syne” and “Go Tell it on the Mountain” are rich and layered while Eva’s airy voice creates a hauntingly beautiful “What Child is This.” The two bands blended well, yet I also enjoyed being able to isolate Hannah’s keys, Eva’s mandolin, Sarah’s fiddle and Liza’s percussion. The album feels like a cozy and intimate concert in one’s holiday home.