Hayley Westenra's crossover Christmas album,
Winter Magic, was released in autumn 2009 in connection with her Japanese tour, and the CD was made available in regular and limited editions. This is a light and festive collection of holiday songs, ranging from traditional carols, such as "Veni, Veni Emmanuel" and the "Coventry Carol," to modern favorites, including "The Little Drummer Boy" and "The Christmas Song," set with attractive instrumental accompaniments and programmed with a nice balance of sacred and secular numbers.
Westenra's classically trained voice is flexible in expression and she seems comfortable in both light classical and pop vocal genres without making too many changes in her delivery or adjustments of her unique vocal qualities. Her intonation is spot-on and her breath control is usually even and strong, so her singing is quite appealing because of her assured vocal production. At times, she indulges in a little too much vibrato for sentimental emphasis, as in "The Christmas Song" and "Silent Night," but she is also capable of producing a pure, angelic tone, as in "Carol of the Bells" and "Coventry Carol," that shows how clean and polished her singing is. But
Westenra is perhaps most personally engaging in songs that have a relaxed, intimate quality, like
Joni Mitchell's "River," and
Westenra's own compositions, "Christmas Morning," "All with You," and "Peace Shall Come," where her personality shows through with natural ease in unpretentious pop-folk arrangements. This disc will serve as a pleasant diversion for Christmas celebrations and may become a holiday classic for fans of this popular New Zealand artist.