Review

Title: A Bonner Family Christmas
Artist: Bonner Family
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Christmas
Year Published: 2021
Number of Songs: 13
Run Time: 46 minutes
Format: CD
Price: 13.98

Reviewed by   for the Association of Mormon Letters

Christmas albums are the comfort food of the music world. We turn to them not because they push the limits of what can be done but because they assure us that warmth and beauty can still be found during the darkest time of the year. The Bonner family knows this, and on “A Bonner Family Christmas,” they serve up track after track of familiar and satisfying holiday favorites rendered worshipfully.

This family of artists definitely has the chops to sing with the best of them, but they know when to hold back.  As joyous and jubilant as these songs often are, the album benefits from the intimacy created through vocal restraint and instrumental minimalism on tracks such as “The Christmas Song” or “Silent Night.”

Although the standards are covered beautifully, the standout moments on this album come with the two original songs. “Let’s Light the World” is a straightforward tie-in with the yearly holiday campaign of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it stands on its own virtues: an impassioned plea to engage with our communities and share what we can. The track crescendos into an emotional widescreen of harmony worth multiple listens. “Wrap Up” nicely captures the anticipation felt during the late hours of Christmas Eve.

“A Bonner Family Christmas” is holiday music meant to be experienced with loved ones and would make a great addition to your own traditions, whether sipping cocoa by a yuletide log, baking goodies as a family, or hanging decorations.