Christians searching for a needle of hope in the haystack of disappointment that was 2020 need look no further than the 2021 classical-music Grammy nominees.

Contending for three awards is Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua (Naxos). Subtitled A Dramatic Oratorio in Fourteen Scenes, it immerses listeners in a nearly two-hour journey that begins with the Last Supper and culminates with Christ’s death on the cross.   

Bleak Midwinter by Barnaby Bright: Of all of the Christmas songs on the verge of being recorded too many times, “In the Bleak Midwinter”—lyrics by Christina Rossetti, music by either Gustav Holst or Harold Darke—is surely the most durable, holding up under both high-art and folk-art conditions. Nathan and Becky Bliss, aka Barnaby Bright, have opted for the latter (and for Holst’s tune), giving the carol an eerie yet reverent sheen that falls within the parameters of their Bandcamp tags (“Americana,” “indie folk”).

“I’m somewhere in between.”

So says the Christian singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken via email from Nashville when asked to situate her lithe, grainy voice along the alto-soprano continuum.

Her latest release, Patient Kingdom, is her 13th studio long player and her second in a row for the contemporary-worship label Integrity Music. It’s also about as single-minded as musical endeavors get.

I once interviewed R.C. Sproul about his book Willing To Believe. In its discussion of faith and salvation, he’d referred to semi-Pelagians as “barely” Christians, and I asked him what he meant.

“All of us who are Christians,” he said laughing, “are only barely Christians.”

The country-music singer-songwriter and Texas legend Billy Joe Shaver would have agreed.

Shaver, many of whose compositions became “outlaw country” staples, died three days before Halloween after suffering a stroke. He was 81.

Herb Alpert Is ... by Herb Alpert: An accessory to the authorized documentary of the same name, Herb Alpert Is … begins with its subject’s swinging instrumental ’60s, continues with his chart-topping ’70s (both “This Guy’s in Love With You” and “Rise” reached No. 1), and proceeds to the dapper Miles Davis–lite funk of his ’80s and ’90s (choicest cut: “Sneakin’ In”). It winds down with 11 21st-century recordings featuring a little bit of everything (Edith Piaf, Michael Jackson, Irving Berlin, “Wade in the Water”). Once in a while, he or others sing.

The Omnibus by Roland Chadwick & the Modern Guitar Trio: The ensemble’s name implies four classical guitarists, but the cover—accurately—shows three. And they’re enough. Although Roland Chadwick composed all 19 pieces himself, he, Vincent Lindsey-Clark, and Roland Gallery interact with a riveting sensitivity to their melodies, to each other, and to the slyer implications of the titles. “Stumbler’s Waltz” suggests even people with two left feet might have a future on the dance floor.

The late Ravi Zacharias liked to recount the time that a philosophy professor tried to convince him of the superiority of Eastern both/and logic over Western either/or. “Are you telling me,” Zacharias finally said, “that when I am studying Hinduism I either use both/and system of logic or nothing else?”

The professor responded, “The either/or does seem to emerge, doesn’t it?”