Christmas Favorites

Album Review

Wendy Lewis performs traditional country versions of many popular holiday standards on Christmas Favorites. Her beautiful, clear vocals are the highlight of the album, bringing this from being fairly ordinary to quite excellent. Some may be turned off by the country-styled arrangements that she uses for many of the tracks, but oftentimes her renditions are more attune to folk music than country. "The Christmas Song" is a good example; in her hands it becomes a sweet folk ballad lazily strummed on an acoustic guitar with no accompaniment. Her "What Child Is This" is another sparse rendition that begins with her singing a cappella, then it moves into a beautiful instrumental rendition. Be warned, there is nothing the least bit modern about Lewis' brand of country, but to those who enjoy traditional country music, this is a wonderful album that showcases a performer with a true talent for this aspect of the genre.