Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Tim Pierce (guitar); Dave Koz (saxophone); Tim Heintz (piano, keyboards); John Pena (bass guitar); Ricky Lawson (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Bridgette Bryant-Blades, Dee Harvey, Alex Brown (background vocals). | | Additional personnel: BeBe Winans, Gladys Knight (vocals). | | It seems unlikely, but Dionne Warwick waited until 2004 to record her first holiday album, and listeners may wonder, with beautiful results like these, what took her so long. Nothing here is gimmicky, but the seasoned vocalist interprets classics in her own way, putting a decidedly different spin on almost all the selections here. "Joy to the World" is revisioned as a gospel shouter; "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is simultaneously soulful and gossamer, with a nuanced vocal; and "O Come All Ye Faithful" gets an unusually throaty, jazz-inflected reading. Even the more traditional renditions of chestnuts like "The Christmas Song" and "My Favorite Things" are enhanced by the singer's presence and feeling. In a crowded field, this holiday release is a stand-out. |
Producer: Tena Rix Clark |
Engineer: Ed Woolley; Milton Gutierrez Ruezga |
|
CD
