The Christmas Album
If you want your choice for a holiday album to feature some fine, straight-ahead singing from one of contemporary music's most enduring vocalists, then Roberta Flack's 1997 set is an obvious pick. Flack brings her usual masterful musicianship to the nine selections here, which include the timeless "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" and "O Come All Ye Faithful," a fitting closer for the album. Her reading of the traditional "We Three Kings of Orient Are" is a particular standout, a prime example of why Flack doesn't need current hit records to demonstrate her skills as a lyrical interpreter. She revisits her 1977 R&B; charted single, the beautiful "25th of Last December," which sounds as good as ever, and joins sometime duet partner Peabo Bryson in a fine vocal blend on "As Long as There's Christmas." Finally, a superb reading of "Little Drummer Boy," which Flack opens a capella, is worth the price of the album alone.--David Nathan