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It's remarkable how holiday traditions and creative artistry over the years have yielded so many different musical expressions for the Christmas season, and 2006 is no exception. There's acoustic pop from Third Day, R&B gospel from Mary Mary, varied pop from NewSong, Irish hymns from Moya Brennan, alternative folk from Sufjan Stevens, a cappella from Go Fish, soulful eclecticism from Israel & New Breed … and that's only half of the 14 projects represented in this year's Christmas Music Wrap-Up. Check out the diversity with which we can celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Todd Agnew & Friends | Moya Brennan | Go Fish
Hillsong Australia | Israel & New Breed | Mary Mary
Kevin Max | NewSong | Sufjan Stevens | Third Day | Matthew Ward
The Christmas to Remember | The Nativity Story: Sacred Songs
Son of the Most High: Songs from the Voice, Volume 2

Do You See What I See? (Ardent/INO)
Adult contemporary pop/rock

Anyone familiar with Todd Agnew's gruff, blues-rock style probably wouldn't figure him to craft a musical. But with a project not too dissimilar from Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God, this is a sort of Christmas pageant devotional, exploring Jesus' birth from the personal perspectives of the various characters, revealing them as ordinary people who extraordinarily encounter God. With guest vocalists that include Christy Nockels (Watermark), Michael O'Brien, and Mike Weaver (Big Daddy Weave), Agnew explores not only the loving sacrifice of Joseph and the grateful surrender of Mary, but also the stress of the innkeeper, the excitement of the angels, the insight of Simeon, and even the omniscience of the infant Jesus. Book-ended with covers of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and Glad's "In the First Light," Agnew's original songs would have benefited from an experienced co-producer to keep them from sounding overly hokey. Nevertheless, he's put a lot of thought into the subject, giving an interesting new angle from which to reflect upon the Christmas story.

An Irish Christmas (Sparrow/EMI)
Irish folk/pop

Best known by many as the voice of Irish band Clannad, as well as the sister of superstar Enya, Moya Brennan generally delivers the Christmas album you'd expect—her breathy vocals and gentle harp washing over the Celtic instrumentation. What's most striking is how attuned she is to her sound, adhering closely to carols with roots in UK folk like "Deck the Halls," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "What Child Is This," then adapting "Angels We Have Heard on High," "In Dulci Jubilo," and "Do You Hear What I Hear?" as if they came from the same tradition—"Silent Night" sung in Gaelic is about as soothing as it gets. Brennan also taps her heritage with "In the Bleak Midwinter," the gorgeous "Wexford Carol," and "Gabriel's Message" (the Basque carol that Sting made famous on 1990's A Very Special Christmas). Aside from so-so renditions of "Carol of the Bells" and "Joy to the World," Brennan's peaceful style is most befitting of the Christmas season.

Snow (GFK Records)
A cappella pop

Together for ten years, this a cappella trio refocused their music in 2003 to emphasize kids ministry, and it's served them and their target audience well. Their second Christmas release (after 1999's More Than a Story) is to some extent nothing new—the same a cappella pop style that The Nylons, Glad, and Rockapella helped pioneer 20 years ago. But there's no denying that Go Fish does it as well as any, delivering their harmonies over a drum machine like a more vocal intensive Backstreet Boys (or a more caffeinated 4Him). Credit them also for making an effort to be different with their songs, offering playful arrangements of standards (including a rocking "Little Drummer Boy" and a cute "White Christmas") as well as thoughtful originals ("Christmas with a Captial 'C'" borrows from comedian Brad Stine to address political correctness for holiday). Though rather preachy at times, Snow is nonetheless infectious and fun for all ages.

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