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: #19198 in Music
• Released on: 1999-12-23
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
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 centrepiece, 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

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.

A sensational Christmas album
Jewel built her reputation partly on her songwriting, so it came as a surprise to some that she chose to record an album of mostly standards. I wasn't surprised - I've heard many singers who didn't bother with covers, but made an exception for Christmas. I wanted this anyway, because Jewel has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard.

However, there are a few surprises here, although the album begins predictably enough. The first seven tracks are all extremely well known and all performed in a fairly conventional manner. What makes them refreshing is the quality of Jewel's singing and the simplicity of the backing. These tracks cannot be faulted in any way and if the rest of the album had been of the same standard, I would have been very happy. However, that's when things get interesting - and even better.

The next track, Rudolph the red-nose reindeer, is given a completely different treatment, mostly just Jewel and her mother, hardly any backing, and at a very fast tempo. You have to hear it to believe it. I wouldn't want everybody to do the song this way, but as a contrast to all the other covers, it's stunning.

Next comes Face of love, a brilliant song she wrote herself. Then, perhaps the centrepiece of the album - another new song, Life uncommon, in a medley with Go tell it on the mountain and From a distance. Absolute magic !!!!

I wonder as I wander is another oldie, followed by two more of Jewel's own songs to round off a truly magical Christmas album.

Jewel's back with another stunning album!
If you like 'Pieces of You' and 'Spirit', then Christmas need not be littered with boring mono toned hymns. 'Joy' offers a freshness that is unique to Jewel's stunning voice and charisma. 'Face of Love',which she co- sings with her Mother Nedra Carroll, and 'Gloria' are brand new tracks. Produced by Arif Mardin, this glowing feast offers warmth and timeless magical melodies and sounds, but also keeps a traditional bite for the true meaning of Christmas. Once again Jewel impresses us with her versatile talent, but displays she can pay justice to songs written by others and known to us all.