Christmas Prayer
Aaron Neville is not the type to go on singing Christmas songs like "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" or "Jingle Bells." The deeply spiritual tone of his mellifluous tenor is here singing carols, beautiful carols that deeply reflect the character of the season. His interpretations of usual favorites like "Joy to the World" (with the Blind Boys of Alabama), "O Come All Ye Faithful," "The First Noel," and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" are complemented by more unexpected choices like "Ava Maria," "Mary's Boy Child," and "Go Tell It on the Mountain." There is one concession to the popular songbook here, in "White Christmas," but it is not only out of place here, but is simply a negligible version. Neville brings home the Christmas season and its good news origins with a quiet passion, a deep sense of reflection, and elegance.