Artists looking for longevity in the music industry would do well to take a lesson from Phillips, Craig and Dean (PCD).  Individually, Randy Phillips, Shaw Craig and Dan Dean are each senior pastors of sizable churches.  Collectively, they have been singing together for 22 years with 12 albums, 3 Dove Awards and 18 no.1 singles under their belts.   And over all these years, they have had honed their craft of album releases for the long haul: while many of their peers are already headed for the rocking chair, PCD had just locked in another top 10 Billboard Christian album last year with "Breathe In."  So, what is the secret of their success?  For starters they do not need to swing naked on a wrecking ball to get attention. Neither do they have to come out of a giant cyborg bear and don on some PVC underwear to trigger a viral of tweets.  Rather, two factors are emblematic for their prevalence: first, the consistency of high quality music. If you pursue through their catalog, you will find a linearity of solid songs crafted with time-transcending melodies and lyrics in mind. Some of the songs they have brought to the charts (such as their version of "Revelation Song" and "Here I Am to Worship") are still perennial worship favorites. 

Second, PCD have often chosen to record songs that are prophetic in nature, such as paeans that speak to our life circumstances with the authority of God's Word.  For "Hope for All the World," PCD certainly have these dualistic foci in mind. "Hope for All the World" is by no means PCD's first foray into Christmas music.  Way back in 1996 they had released their debut festive effort "Repeat the Sounding Joy" followed by an EP version of "Hope for All the World" in 2010.  Produced by Nathan Nockels (Laura Story, Chris Tomlin & Passion), "Hope for All the World" consists of a perfect symmetry of traditional carols and newer compositions.  Fans of Hillsong would definitely be familiar with the album opener "Born is the King." Witten by Matt Crocker and Scott Ligertwood (Brooke Fraser's hubby), "Born is the King" bears everything we have loved about Hillsong's patented style: an anthemic chorus, a congregationally accessible melody and some Christ-centered lyrics.   Quite uncharacteristic of PCD, they have kept abreast with Hillsong's rendition with the same Celtic-sounding tilt and the folk-flavored drums.

As for the other songs not from the traditional oeuvre, "God Bless Us" is the lodestar. With a sensitivity that can only come from three seasoned pastors, PCD on "God Blesses Us" reminds us that the baby born is one "wrapped in brokenness."  And he still dispenses his "grace (that is) found in places we never thought to look."  In short, "God Bless Us" is a warm water bottle for the frozen heart.  Written by Matthew West, Randy Phillips and Jimmy Fedd, "Suddenly" retells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ with a 21^st Century parlance.  PCD's engaging story telling has a way of transporting us into the narrative as if it were an event that just unravelled on our 7 pm news bringing the Christmas story to bear powerfully on today's audience.  "For All the World," already a Christmas radio favorite since it was first released as a single in 2010, is a contemporary pop ballad that speaks of Christ's redemptive birth with crystal clear clarity.  Not really a misstep but somehow veering on the side of the autonomous is the extremely busy guitar and drum driven "A Night of Hope."

The rest of the album contains carols of the traditional flare.  With really gorgeous sounding bells and an almost country like guitar driven backing "Do You Hear What I Hear" certainly perks up our audible delights.  Set at a tempo quicker than the norm is "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and to add some humor to the offering is when PCD's voices are heightened to sound like quaking ducks on "Jingle Bells (Duck Mix)."  Once again PCD shows that after all these years they have not lost an iota of their touch to bring their songs through prophetic ways to our society.  In sum, with regards to "Hope for all he World," three adjectives should suffice: contemporary, worshipful and relevant.