Singer/Songwriter, Kimberlee M. Leber, ponders the state of Christmas with her reflective radio single, “Jesus’ Birthday,” from her Christmas album, “O Come All Ye Faithful.”
Scattered across rooftops and front lawns, families throughout the world spend hours preparing colorful displays in their neighborhoods. Contests and reality shows have even become an anticipated frenzy or attraction in the month of December. And as advertisers find their way into our lives, whether on television, the Internet, billboards, magazines, newspapers, smart phones, or retail signage, materialism has taken our mind-share. But, at what cost?
Since retailers are heavily focused on generating maximized sales during the holiday season, consumers often succumb to the pressures of those retailers. As a result, society at large has become fixated with compulsive shopping during the holidays. Additionally, the seemingly harmless caricatures decorated throughout malls this time of year, representing toy-like figures, such as Rudolph and Frosty, appear innocently benign. But, are they?
See Kimberlee perform the national anthem:
With the advent of television in the 1950s and other forms of media the last fifty years, society has grown accustomed to distraction. Unknowingly to the multitudes, a spiritual battle has been occurring to divert the attention away from Christ during Christmas. Without realizing, many of us have contributed to this deviation over time. But, have we lost something?
The birth of Christ is the single most powerful event in human history. Prophesied hundreds of years prior, the actual coming of the Messiah meant salvation for humanity. His miraculous birth would bring good news to all nations, providing a new covenant with God and His people. The birth of Christ is literally the birth of the Gospel, our freedom from sin and death. Celebrating the birth of Jesus has been a worldwide event, highly revered for centuries. However, in more recent years a gradual shift has been occurring.
Partnering with West Coast Songwriters’ Award Winning Songwriter, Suzie Daines, Kimberlee M. Leber, honestly addresses the lamenting present day reality in her released single, “Jesus’ Birthday,” as revealed in the following verse, “I went looking for the Spirit of Christmas. But the parties and the mall didn’t have it. Dash away, dash away, why make Him a stranger? Slow down.”
Photo Courtesy of Kimberlee M. Leber.
Taking attentive account of the Christmas holiday, Daines and Leber set out to soberly communicate the events witnessed in their own lives and within their communities. Thoughtfully expressed with sincerity and depth, the lyrics were crafted to awaken us to the real meaning of Christmas once again. Moreover, “Jesus’ Birthday,” is a clear portrayal of the effects of materialism and holiday cartoon characters as a hindrance to the real meaning of Christmas – Christ’s birth.
Mixing a stylistic blend of Gospel, Soul, Bluesy-Folk and Jazz, Kimberlee M. Leber presents, “Jesus’ Birthday,” among other holiday favorites on the album,”O Come All Ye Faithful.” She performs all vocals and instrumentation on the Christmas release, with the exception of seasoned guest Percussionist, Matthias D’Autremont, who is featured on the title track.
Embarking on new creative territory, Kimberlee is credited with production, arrangement, and engineering on “O Come All Ye Faithful,” including a rewritten version of “Angels We Have Heard on High.” Other various Christmas classics, along with one other original work by Leber and Daines, round out the repertoire on, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” providing a wonderful collection of songs for the entire family. The album is now available at major online music stores, such as Amazon.com, iTunes, CD Baby and on Kimberlee’s website.
For more information on Kimberlee, visit www.Kimberlee.com.
Born and raised in California, Kimberlee trained nearly nine years with Vocal Coach, Judy Davis, who also coached Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Steve Perry of Journey, and a host of other artists. Kimberlee had the fortune of working with Multi-Platinum Producer, Paul Laurence, and 9-Time Grammy Award Winning Producer/Engineer, Gilbert Velasquez, on previous released albums.
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