(((withoutsound)))

I‘m just starting to think that Sufjan Stevens might just be able to pull off his plans to make an album for each of the 50 U.S. states. He’s only traverse-citied the sonic landscapes of Michigan (Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State) and Illinois (Come On Feel the Illinoise) so far, but he’s reportedly knee deep in Minnesota, Arkansas, Oregon, and Rhode Island, his catalog is busting at the seams with 6 albums in 6 years, he appears on the John Fahey tribute I Am the Resurrection, and now there’s the the newly released 5-CD box set, Songs for Christmas. Stevens’ faith is certainly germane to this release, but this isn’t just a compilation of God rock versions of traditional holiday hymns. It’s a celebration of the season.

As someone who was raised Catholic and now considers himself searching, the music is the thing I treasure most about this time of the year. It’s one of the few times outside of a baseball game when people are singing together and not wrapped up in subtext, they are just enjoying hearing the sound of each other’s voices and reveling in the moment.

We’ve previously discussed Stevens’s ability to remain not only relevant but at the forefront of the folk revival in light of his professed Christian faith and admittedly that brief bull session could have easily spanned a weekend.

Sufjan is an Arabic name and the namesake of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, a figure in Islamic history likened to Paul of the Christian New Testament. Abu Sufyan was originally a staunch critic of Muhammad before converting to Islam on the eve of the Conquest of Mecca. The name was given to Stevens by the founder of Subud, an interfaith spiritual community that his parents belonged to when he was born. Stevens has mentioned his Christian faith and attends an Episcopal church, but refrains from discussing this with the media. I’ve come to believe this topic is taboo not because Sufjan is afraid of being labeled a “Christian artist” but because he isn’t a “Christian artist.” If you want to throw a label at Stevens, I think “artist searching for spiritual meaning within the bounds of his own experience” may be more appropriate. As mentioned in the Village Voice last year, “Not even faith or prayer exists outside what Stevens calls his ‘cynicism.’”

If Stevens’ previous releases didn’t reveal the depth to which he is also searching, you may be surprised to find that an anthology of Christmas songs proclaims his grasp of the undeniable truth that we are all searching. Searching for a way to extend that moment when we forget who we are, we raise our voices together, and bask in the glory of one voice.

• Listen to That Was The Worst Christmas Ever
• Listen to It’s Christmas Time!
• Listen to Joy to the World
• Listen to Get Behind Me, Santa!

Buy Songs for Christmas from the Public Radio Music Source.