I am going to go out on a limb here and any risk coolness points that I might have left, but my motto has always been to appreciate art for an artist's craft and the heart put into it. Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas has put me into holiday mode completely and despite the many blockbuster releases that have hit the shelves in recent weeks, this one has preoccupied the Disc 1 tray of my CD player much of late. Inasmuch as a David Foster production can be safe and predictable, I cannot deny that this album is damn good. During the holidays, I want something heartwarming and festive, not cutting edge.Bocelli tries some new things here, scaling back the operatic theatrics in his vocals for a new audience of pop music listeners like myself on secular classics like White Christmas, the über-cute Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jingle Bells (featuring The Muppets!) and Silent Night; all epitomizing holiday spirit. The divo arrives in full enchanting force doing what he does best on numbers like The Lord's Prayer, Adeste Fideles, Cantique De Noel and Caro Gesu' Bambino. That is powerful stuff right there.
My Christmas unleashes a few unexpected surprise collaborations, the strongest being the chilling What Child Is This (featuring a subdued Mary J. Blige). Duets like The Christmas Song (featuring Natalie Cole) don't offer anything new we haven't heard prior and one slight veering in the country direction with Blue Christmas (featuring Reba McEntire) is well-intentioned, but the result is one of few non-gratifying moments on the album. Overall, a classic. Grade: A-
Preview What Child Is This by Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige below (courtesy of Decca Records/Universal Music):
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