Of course you know Face's record, placing 2nd at both the 2005 and 2007 Harmony Sweeps Finals, and making the Finals in 2008's The Sing-Off, its first smash year. Well, we hold in our hands "I Hear the Bells," this elite Denver, CO-based all-male sextet's freshly-released first Christmas album, and it's wonderful! There are nine finely-crafted tunes here, the tone is set with the title tune, an original by Face tenor Stephen Ross, a rich, complex, rhythmic anthem with depth and power; another original, "If I Think," by Face baritone Ben Lunstad, a deeply touching hymn to peace and personal change with hypnotic African rhythms, which asks and answers a very important question: "Am I a child of this world, can I change my ways?;" a surprising medley that seamlessly blends "We Three Kings" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Lunstad & Ross also lend marvelous arrangements that transform "Do You Hear What I Hear," "O Holy Night," "Little Drummer Boy," "Silent Night/The River Runs Slow" and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel/On the Turning Away" medleys, and an incongruously juicy manic, live rendition of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." Each of these cuts is very special, "I Hear the Bells" needs to be savored a number of times to fully appreciate them. The members of Face, reflecting on their 10 years together: "each of us is humbled. A magic was created that we still can't explain-we simply enjoy it and nurture it." We can only add, "one of the best Christmas albums we have heard!"