Christmas Album: Bethlehem Star

Personnel: Ray Boltz (vocals); Tim Wright (steel guitar); Sandy Williams, Mark Baldwin (guitar); David Huntsinger (piano); Steve Millikan (keyboards, synthesizer, drum programming); Steve Dokken (upright bass); Randy Melson, Craig Nelson (bass); Dane Clark (drums, percussion); John Hammond (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Emily Webb, Ashley Melling, Megan Dockery, Brandon Conger, Marshall Hall, Bryan Harden, Paul Langford, Brian Felten, Shelley Harris, Brent Henderson, Cozette Myers, Amy Rouse, Alvin Love, Mary Catherine Musick, Kelsey Morgenthaler, Kelly Stewart, Evan Broder, Cory Hutchinson, Tammy Boyer, Evelyn Cosby, Sharon Felten, Ron Scruggs (background vocals), The Martins.
Ray Boltz's first holiday album, A Christmas Album: Bethlehem Star, is an engaging, laid-back collection of recently written Christmas tunes, balanced by a fine interpretation of "Go Tell It on the Mountain." Musically, the album isn't all that different from the lush, synthesized adult-contemporary CCM Boltz usually releases, but his spiritual commitment is evident throughout the record, and he manages to make the album sound joyous and inviting. It's a first-rate CCM Christmas record. ~ Rodney Batdorf