Jeremy Camp
Christmas: God With Us

Jeremy Camp is what folks south of the border like to refer to as a “fine-upstanding Christian”, which explains why the album’s subtitle is God With Us, as opposed to the more sensible (considering the stresses of the season) God Fucking Help Us. For a man who never misses church service, the dude actually knows how to rock out. “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” blazes with guitars ripped from the Edge’s playbook, and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is powered by the kind of big, echo-soaked drums we haven’t heard since Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil. God might consider that sacrilege, but it’s hard to argue that Camp is pretty accomplished at what he does. The release’s high-water mark comes when the cellos kick in during the title track. It’s almost enough to make you think you could do with a little religion in your life. The key word being almost.