Track Listing

1. Joy to the World
2. O Holy Night
3. Silent Night
4. Winter Wonderland
5. O Little Town of Bethlehem
6. Ave Maria
7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
9. Face of Love
10. Medley: Go Tell It on the Mountain/Life Uncommon/From a Distance
11. I Wonder as I Wander
12. Gloria
13. Hands [Christmas Version]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1104 in Music
• Released on: 1999-11-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Amazon.com
Jewel has concocted an intriguing and at times beautifully inspired holiday album, playing it straight with a big orchestra and backing voices for the first half of the record with standards such as "Joy to the World," "Winter Wonderland," "Silent Night," as well as a lovely rendition of "Ave Maria." Things finally get sparkling in the last half where Jewel does a low-key, kid version of "Rudolph" and sings her own compositions. Her moving "Face of Love" and "Hands" are certain to become holiday standards, capable of being sung in a country, pop, gospel, or R&B vein and deserving of an audience as wide as the nation itself. The record's centerpiece, however, seems to be a six-minute-plus medley that mixes "Go Tell It on the Mountain" with the recent hit "From a Distance" and her own "Life Uncommon." Nonetheless, her stunning adaptation of "Gloria" inspired, in part, by Bach's B-Minor Mass, two tracks later is as powerful and lovely a Christmas vocal performance as you will find anywhere. Produced by the legendary Arif Mardin, Joy is destined to become a holiday classic. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

I've heard the voice of an Angel.....and it is Jewel!
I wasn't overly familiar with Jewel before buying this disc, but picked it up based on reviews here. I own well over 100 Christmas CDs -- so I'm not easy to impress. However, Jewel's voice is a gift, and she uses it extremely well in this bound-to-become-a-classic collection. It's moving, poignant and, most of all, sincere. It's not overly done, so as to let her voice shine through. The arrangements are lovely.

I highly recommend this disc.

Modern Christmas Classic
Jewel presents a Christmas CD that is both traditional and at the same time new, and is pure magic to listen to.

The first half of the CD is traditional songs, both sacred and secular, performed in a mostly traditional fashion. The beauty of this section is that the arrangements are minimalist and unique, making them seem fresh even if we've listened to other people do them every year of our lives. I especially like the guitar on "O Holy Night." And, as you'd expect, Jewel's voice shines on every song.

The second half gets into more uncharted territory, but it's still great stuff. She does two almost a cappella duets with her mother on "Rudolph" and "I Wonder as I Wander." The first one is great fun. My only complaint with the second is that they repeat the first verse three times instead of doing the other two verses.

We also get some original songs in the second half. My favorite is "Face of Love," which again features a duet with her mom. It talks about a life changed because of seeing the baby Jesus. "Life Uncommon" (featured in a melody) and "Hands" both encourage us to spread the joy all year round. I wasn't aware at first listen that "Gloria" was original. Written in Latin, it sounds like some classical music you'd hear this time of year.

I didn't get this CD until last year, but it felt like Christmas right away. If you've enjoyed Jewel's other music, even marginally, get it. You'll enjoy it for years to come.

I'm Not a Die-Hard Jewel Fan...
...but I will happily credit her with one of the finest Christmas CD's I've ever heard. In my collection, I have just under 80 Christmas CD's, ranging from classic Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra to Amy Grant & Michael W. Smith to Nat "King" Cole & Glenn Miller. I have numerous discs from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Boston Pops & London Symphony Orchestras, and the Westminster Boys' Choir. In short, I've heard a LOT of holiday music from hundreds of singers, groups, and composers. Jewel's effort ranks with the best of them. I've often been completely disgusted with the works of pop artists who, for whatever reason, release holiday albums. I loathe performances of Christmas standards that are utterly destroyed by a pop/country/R&B/etc. artist who feels the need to put his/her "spin" on a familiar tune. More often than not, the result is a musical quagmire that slaughters the classic tune. However, Jewel refrains from taking that approach, instead presenting each song in a traditional manner and sounding downright angelic in the process. I am very impressed with this album and with the voice and range of this young lady. Only the child-oriented "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" keeps me from giving this album another star. I don't give advice to others concerning what music they should buy, but I will say that as one who owns and has listened to an extensive variety of Christmas music, I rank this CD in my top 5 of all time.