Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen wroteChicken Soup for the Soul, one of the most popular self-help spirituality books in the 1990s, and now Rhino Records has extended the concept to a series of seven discs for the soul. As collections go, this 14-song set has a wide but not always inspired reach:Mahalia Jackson,Judy Garland,Perry Como,Andy Williams, and other contemporary artists such as theRoches(singing "The Hallelujah Chorus"),Brook Benton, andJohnny Mathis. Sixties starJackie Wilsondelivers "O Holy Night (Cantique de Noel)," although his classic "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me (Higher and Higher)" would have been the more sumptuous choice.Gene Autryweighs in with "Rudolph" in one of the collection's oddest choices, whileHarry Belafonteand the Harry Simeone Chorale and Orchestra add more seasonal good tidings to the soup. God knows whether this will cure your spiritual woes at Christmas, but it's atmospheric enough to put your mind right.--Martin Keller