Library Recommendation: 1921 – In My Veins

Released: 2017

Label: Compunctio

Genre: Contemporary

The secularization of Christmas music produced some of the best, most evocative popular music of the last century. The genre’s longevity is not simply the result of radio and television programming, the songs we hear all around us at this time of year deserve their place in the mainstream.

Those remarkable pop songs had a (perhaps) unintended consequence though. They left little space at the busiest time of year for the kind of spiritual music that could have just as easily become part of the Christmas tradition. Fans of classical and choral music will always celebrate the great works, but they’ll do so privately for the most part.

All the more reason to celebrate great new recordings fitting that description. To call 1921’s gorgeous new disc In My Veins a Christmas album misses the mark. Instead, think of this as another in a long line of great spiritual works. The Moderns