Silver & Gold
On Vanessa Williams' second Christmas disc, she proves once and for all she's just not just a glamorous dishonored beauty queen. Over the course of her seven studio albums, she has grown into a strong, nuanced singer, with an unerring eye for a good song. She continues the trend onSilver & Gold, which is the first in a series of thematic holiday albums she has planned over the next few years. The singer eschews tired, overworked Yuletide chestnuts, and instead roasts an entirely new batch, including the title song which in the perfect blend of wistfulness and strength, while the island rhythms of "Mary's Little Boy" elevates the bar on seasonal music, and her coy, saucy remake ofthe Carpenters' "Winter Weather," deserves to be a retro classic. When Williams does tackle a holiday standard, she does it with a fresh eye and voice, like her while her jazzy delicate duet with r&b; heartthrobBrian McKnight: it's so sublime it lingers long after the last note has been sounded. Outstanding!--Jaan Uhelszki