Reviewed by Ian Hayter

Mandisa has been nominated for both Grammy and Dove awards. Here she turns out a fairly standard Christmas pop-cum-R&B album with a selection of old favourites (a jazz-tinged "O Holy Night", "Little Drummer Boy", "Mary's Boy Child") and original compositions. Her treatment of the familiar songs, under the eye of veteran producer Brown Bannister, is good without being remarkable, although the arrangements bring out the power and sensitivity of her voice (particularly on "Silent Night"). There are also two original compositions on the album, in each of which Mandisa duets with the composer - "Christmas Makes Me Cry" with Matthew West and "Christmas Day" with Michael W Smith. The latter is a big arrangement with choirs and orchestra, as well as the distinctive voices of Mr Smith and Mandisa. If you like your Christmas songs produced with a large helping of schmaltz, this album might be worth checking out next Christmas.

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