This is a far more traditional set of holiday standards than anyone could have anticipated from Jewel Kilcher, the petite San Diego beach girl who represents the fairer end of the Lilith spectrum. Working with veteran pop producer Arif Mardin (Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler, Dusty Springfield), the 25-year-old singer-songwriter abandons her usual acoustic earthiness for the ominous sound of stately choirs and orchestras.
The restrained tone of the record is set straight-away with a classical reading of "Joy to the World" and runs throughout melancholy Christmas staples like "O Holy Night" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." Jewel's penetrating voice is hard to distinguish at first, particularly on the frosty rendition of "Ave Maria" and the soulful gospel medley of "Go Tell It on the Mountain," "Life Uncommon" and "From A Distance."
Yet, Joy: A Holiday Collection eventually reveals some of the pleasures Jewel brings to her own work. It offers a genuinely sweet reading of "Silent Night" and an appropriately informal but endearing take on "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
Caught up in the spirit of giving, the songwriter even packs two new original songs, the sentimental "Face of Love" and the astral "Gloria," which is based on J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor. Her single "Hands" is also dressed-up for the occasion in a "Christmas Version," which transforms it from an unassuming folk song to a full-blown symphonic movement. Fans will appreciate the gesture. After all, at this time of year, it's the thought that counts.
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