Decca's double-disc
Simply Christmas collection is a reverent, solid, non-secular tool for installing yuletide cheer. Standards like "Sleigh Ride," "Deck the Hall," and "Oh Tannenbaum" sit side by side with the somber "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "Ave Maria," glued together by church organs, choirs, and heavyweight such as
Plácido Domingo,
Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, and
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge. The overall feel is that of a mass, and it generates a warmth and intimacy that's refreshingly honest. This is a sprawling, researched, novel of a record, that transcends the usual sing-songy holiday compilations, and would make a fine gift for a pious friend or family member. ~ James Christopher Monger