Mandisa

by Monica P. Watkins

As the sleigh full of 2007 holiday CD releases dumps its stock onto store shelves, we find a yuletide treat amidst this year's sea of tunes, the new Christmas Joy EP from former American Idol contestant Mandisa.

Offering a healthy serving of old (three Christmas classics) with a dash of new (one original track), though short on tracks, this new project still brings the joy. Mandisa jingles her way through remakes of Joy to the World and Stevie Wonder's What Christmas Means to Me. However, these up-tempo tracks are like a cluster of diamond baguettes – complimentary, yet slightly less brilliant than the sparkling center stone of the Christmas Joy project, the remake of the Christmas classic, O Holy Night. Without a doubt, Mandisa was born to sing ballads, and her soulful delivery of this holiday staple immediately elevates this version into classic status. The breathtaking arrangement remains faithful to its original sound, yet allows just enough room for Mandisa's powerhouse vocals to whisk you back in time, to that "O Holy Night…. when Christ was born".

Christmas Makes Me Cry, a duet with label-mate Matthew West, has all the makings of a feel-good, holiday national anthem, making it an understandable choice for the single. Complete with heartwarming lyrics that inspire reflection, and musical elements that easily unite all music lovers, this track alone will make your singing tongue salivate for more than four tracks on this project.

If you're an overprotective, highly critical, Christmas music connoisseur (like me), be warned. With a mere four tracks, it takes only one spin for Christmas Joy to effortlessly and joyfully nestle its way into your holiday music rotation and remain there for years to come.

mandisaofficial.com
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