I remember when this came out I turned away.
"What need do I have for a festive album from an artist I merely tolerate?"
Several years later, I heard "One More Sleep," and no, I was not in love that deep.
I heard "Mr. Right," Now to review? To be a significant other? not tonight.
Then it hit me like a brick, Leona has an album and I was quick...
To disregard.
It was mentioned in another review that Kelly Clarkson, who released a Christmas album around the same time as Lewis, merely flirted with that "wall of sound" that is much more prevalent on this record. Those two songs, "Underneath The Tree" and "Wrapped In Red," are modern classics in their own right, and the two original songs Lewis has recorded, "One More Sleep" and "Mr. Right," have met the same fate. Songs such as "Oh Holy Night," "Ave Maria," and "Silent Night" have a tasteful foundation of sound where it would not be out of place on the record, nor polarize the expectations of the listener when they play these versions of classic songs. "Winter Wonderland" recalls the version Darlene Love recorded with Spector, and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then consider it a near perfect copy with a little punch. This album may not be regarded as that which as inspired its sound, production, and style, but is an album worth revisiting annually.
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