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):
