Barnes and Noble Calls Clay's CD "A Winning Holiday Record"

Barnes and Noble

Wholesome American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken follows in the tradition of PC pop crooners Perry Como and Andy Williams with this album of traditional Christmas fare. For this family-friendly collection, produced by Phil Ramone (Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow) and Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey, Kenny G), the North Carolina native lends his dramatic vocals to a dozen Yuletide favorites that provide the perfect background music for tree trimming or nuzzling by the fire. Supported by lush string arrangements, Aiken easily switches gears from a snappy, Harry Connick–reminiscent reading of "Winter Wonderland" to a subdued version of "Sleigh Ride." The slight singer even sinks his vibrato-tinged chops into Celine Dion's "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day," which is given an R&B sheen, thanks to an arrangement of organ, gospel harmonies, and vocal phrasing that's more robust than anything else on the disc. Not surprisingly, this devout Christian really shines on the disc's more spiritual material -- whether it's the hand-in-glove fit of Aiken's pliable tenor with the children's accompaniment provided by Broadway Inspirational Voices on a delicate rendering of "Silent Night" or the robust phrasing reverberating throughout an uplifting version of "Joy to the World." Earnest and endearing, Aiken's Merry Christmas with Love is a winning holiday record. Dave Gil de Rubio