Louder Than The Music

In a musical offering that encapsulates the warmth and joy of the festive season, Peg Luke gifts her listeners with Sleep, Baby Jesus: A Peg Luke Christmas. Acclaimed for her Grammy and Emmy nominations, she delivers an album that intertwines timeless holiday classics with fresh, original compositions: “Sleep, Baby Jesus,” “O Come!,” “In the Bleak Midwinter,” “The Greatest Gift,” and “O, Holy Night,” creating an experience like no other.

Every song in this collection immerses the audience in the true spirit of Christmas. Take “O, Holy Night,” produced by Lucas Sader, a Los Angeles-based innovator and the present musical director for Pentatonix. It is an instrumental favorite, beautifully capturing the tranquility of Bethlehem's holy night through its enchanting melodies. Peg highlighted the final product as a stunning and uplifting piece of art, created amidst the turmoil and grief of the times.

Under the masterful production of the esteemed Grammy-winning virtuoso, Neal Merrick Blackwood, Luke breathes new life into the revered classic “O Come,” weaving a tapestry of sound that earnestly beckons for Emmanuel’s long-awaited advent. The chorus bursts forth in a jubilant 'Rejoice!', brilliantly conveying the elation and boundless hope that the Messiah showers upon the Holy land.

At Neal’s studio in the North Carolina mountains, “The Greatest Gift” was recorded just before the pandemic, capturing the nativity story and the monumental impact of Jesus’s birth. Surrounded by angels, shepherds, and animals, His arrival is depicted as humanity's ultimate gift. A local children's choir from Asheville quickly joined the project, enhancing the production. Emmy-winning videographer Jody Spence from Nashville further enriched the song, creating both a behind-the-scenes and a music video.

In contrast, “Sleep, Baby Jesus” offers a gentle lullaby to the young Messiah, subtly foreshadowing His future role with sweet melodies, inviting listeners to reflect on both the vulnerability and immense potential of the Christ child. “In the Bleak Midwinter,” set against the starkness of winter, illustrates the austere conditions of His birth while suggesting that the most precious gift to Jesus is one’s own heart.

Speaking on her collaboration with Blackwood, Peg shares her enthusiasm: “It is always incredible working with Neal. I think we feed off each other really well. I think in a very strange way we create a kind of magic that only two people that have a lot of experience in their craft can do. I am always thrilled to see what we're going to come up with next!”

In the span of a fleeting year, Luke has gracefully become a sanctuary of solace, tenderly touching souls far and wide with her soulful, resonant anthems such as 'Lord, I Want to be a Christian,' 'Dirt Under His Nails,' 'Amazing Grace,' 'Love Lifted Me,' 'The Greatest Gift,' 'I Am Home, Lord,' 'The Lord's Prayer' and 'God Will Be My Peace'. With the unveiling of her Christmas compilation, she seeks to honor the holiday season, inviting all to bask in a celestial celebration of peace and wonder.

Listen to the full album here: