Jaci Velasquez

Item: Christmas
Author: Josh Hurst

Christmas

(2001)

Reviewed by Josh Hurst

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Label Word RecordsThe Rebel Base2001

ccm pop

Now some of you may call me a Grinch for saying this, but Christmas albums usually seem like a waste of money for me. Sure, some Christmas records really capture the spirit of the holidays, but why spend sixteen bucks on a mediocre collection of songs that you only listen to once a year?

Frugal buyers and big spenders alike will no doubt find Jaci Velasquez' new Christmas album to be well worth the price of admission, however. Jaci serves up some of the most "Christmasy" sounding songs to come out since the days of Perry Como and Bing Crosby. The young CCM superstar and her producer, Christopher Harris, stay faithful to the original songs on Christmas. In other words, there are no surprises here, just traditional, mid-tempo Christmas classics, as well as a few new tunes.

As far as the traditional songs go, the song selection is great. Jaci sings favorites like "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", "White Christmas", "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and others. The songs sound a bit jazzy at times, and Tom Howard's orchestration helps the songs to retain their signature sounds, while also allowing Jaci to make them her own.

Recording new Christmas songs is always a bit risky, but the "modern" tracks on Christmas fit in surprisingly well. "The Angel Song", with its simple chorus of "lalala's", and Scott Krippayne's "It Wouldn't Be Christmas" both sound just as Christmasy as the rest of the songs, and may even become classics in their own right, someday. The black sheep of the album is Jaci's duet with Pete Orta, "Season of Love", which is a good song, just a bit out of place.

Interestingly enough, the highlight of the record is the bonus song, "The Chipmunk Song". Yes, that "Chipmunk Song"- the one made famous by Alvin and the Chipmunks. In fact, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Jaci's version of the song is actually a duet with those loveable critters. The song is lighthearted and funny, a memorable and fun conclusion to the album.

The album may get a bit repetitious every now and then, but all in all, Christmas is a fantastic holiday album. Don't worry about spending money on this one- it's a keeper.

Josh's Score: 3/5

Mark's Score: 3.5/5