Earlier this year, a congregation member mentioned to our senior pastor during worship that he thought we should record a Christmas album. Our Pastor then announced it to the whole church that same day. I was sitting on the front row, and immediately when our Pastor said it, something clicked in my heart and I knew this was something we needed to do. We put all the right people in place, hired a producer, reached out to our musician friends around the globe, and the ball started rolling. I had the privilege of being able to involve my family, The Thulin Family, and got to make several trips this year to Nashville and Minnesota, where the album was recorded. Our producer David Thulin, who is also my brother, put his heart and soul into the project and was able to connect us with some key people to make this CD what it is today. What is so cool about this whole thing is that we are just a local church in Northern California, with a pastor who believes in our Worship Arts Ministry, and everyone really came together to make a beautiful recording of classic Christmas songs, as well as new. The Harvest Church Choir is featured on half of the album, and we wrote a song for our children's choir, Ordained Praise, who with over 80 voices bring amazing energy to their song, Christmas Time Is Here. Our church is so supportive, they love to worship and I'm so honored to be their worship leader. They have truly become our family away from home.
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Christmas From California| Posted December 14, 2016 Jeanette Thulin Claesson is certainly no stranger to ministering through music. Growing up in a musical family, Jeanette (sister to fellow CCM artists Jonathan and David Thulin) has been singing for 30 years, traveling around the world to share the Gospel and serving with multiple University bands and worship teams. With a heart for songwriting, her catalog holds well over 200 songs, some that have been recorded and are being sung by other artists.
With brother/producer David Thulin at the helm, Jeanette partnered with Harvest Church in California (where she leads worship) to create her new Christmas album Home For Christmas. As an added highlight, the church's choir is featured on half the album, even including a special song from their children's choir.
"Merry Medley" gets the album off to a festive start by mixing classics like "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas," "Silver Bells" and "Sleigh Ride." A triumphant "Joy To The World" follows and displays the strong vocal talent of the Harvest Church Choir, much like "Christmas Time Is Here," the song written specifically for the Ordained Praise Children's Choir. Heartfelt "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "Oh Holy Night" play on Jeanette's soulful, powerful voice to create beautiful versions of the beloved Christmas classics.
Jeanette is joined by her family on "Silent Night," producing the standout moment on the album by combining her captivating vocals with the talent of the family and giving off a Christmas caroling feel. As for the originals featured here, "Nothing Like" is an acoustic account of the memories that make the holiday special. Worshipful "Who Would Imagine A King & Glory" and fun gospel-styled "Oh Hallelujah" end the album on a high note.
The Bottom Line: This project was absolutely a team effort, and the collective hard work shines through on both the classic covers and the new material. The addition of the church choir gives a fullness to these songs, making Home For Christmas an album that spreads Christmas cheer from beginning to end.
Song To Download Now:
"Silent Night (feat. The Thulin Family)" (Get it on iTunes here.)
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