Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters [Original recording remastered]

Vanessa Williams | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B0000C23EO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,887 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Star Shines Bright, September 7, 2004

By 

Darren (Jersey Shore, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters (Audio CD)

Although I'm a collector of most of the older classic Christmas albums, this CD ranks high on my list of spiritual holiday music and is destined to become a treasured holiday classic in the years to come. It was originally released under the title "Star Bright"

Vanessa's interpretations of some classic spiritual Christmas songs such as "What Child is This", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Do You Hear What I Hear/Little Drummer Boy", "Angels We have Heard on High" and the "First Noel" are soulfully jazzy. A very upbeat medley of "Go Tell it on the Mountain/Mary had a Baby" produced by David Foster adds a somewhat contemporary gospel sound which will give you chills and also remarkebly illustrates her extended vocal range. Her solemn rendition of "Gracious Good Shepherd" features her daughter in a vocal solo and allows the listener to really feel the reason for the season.

Every song beautifully captures true spirit of the Christmas season. This CD will warm your heart.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely holiday album, November 5, 2004

By 

M. Fields (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters (Audio CD)

This is a charming album to give as a gift or play while putting up your holiday decorations. While everyone else is screaming and yelling their holiday songs, Vanessa Williams actually chose to SING. Her voice is rather plain really. I don't mean that as a negative thing. It's just that vocally her voice is very straightforward and simple. She's no Jesse Norman (an african american opera star) but for what she sings, her voice is effective enough.

Gracious Good Shepherd is the sweetest song on the album. Vanessa sings it and all the other songs that tell the Good News with reverence. She does not tend to over sing tunes like many singers do these days. For those of you that have trouble hearing lyrics, Vanessa's diction is quite clear. The words do not get lost in the music. I reccomend it for your holiday music library. This album is appropriate for all ages.

Parents, purchase with confidence.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Arrangements range from smooth jazz to soundtrack style - Good but a little too slick, November 11, 2005

By 

P. Masuda "music maniac" (Encino, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters (Audio CD)

Vanessa's distinctive sound is that it is well cultivated,
a beautiful tone, perfect articulation, like a polished pearl.
However sometimes these arrangements seem a little artificial,
sometimes obviously Kenny G, or George Benson, (I'll Be Home
for Christmas) or like it was pulled from the soundtrack of
The Lion King (Do You Hear What I Hear. Sometimes her vocal
phrasing sounds too much like she is borrowing from Al Jarreau,
while the band sounds like studio musicians who have used the
same riffs over and over on other album projects.

I do like her rendition of "What Child Is This", "The First
Noel", and her tastefully jazzy "Angels We Have Heard On
High". These arrangements are fresh and interesting all the
way through.

Overall this is still a pleasant album, though I would like
to have heard Vanessa challenge herself more, on range and
interpretation.