Tracklist

1. Arrival
2. Colder Than Winter
3. Ave Maria (Duet with Fernando Lima)
4. Silent Night
5. In the Bleak Midwinter
6. I've Been This Way Before
7. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (J.S. Bach)
8. Child in a Manger
9. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
10. Amazing Grace
11. Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)
12. I Believe in Father Christmas

Additional Comments

Accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sarah's first Christmas album is a vey congenial mixture of seasonal tunes, most of them pop style songs written by people like Neil Diamond, Vince Gill, Greg Lake and ABBA.  Unfortunately Sarah really only uses her powerful soprano voice on one selection, the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.  What disappointed me the most was the absence of a few more reverent Christmas hymns, especially O Holy Night, a beautiful piece that she sung so stunningly at the Vatican a few years ago.  And the track I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday is a song that is totally out of place on this album - it does not fit with the rest of the music at all.  And while this album didn't stir my motions very much, as Sarah's albums normally do, overall it is a pretty good seasonal album.  Maybe the next one will be better.