To paraphrase a popular ad campaign, "she keeps on going, and going, and going..." Shirley Caesar, a.k.a. The First Lady of Gospel, must be one awfully busy person. In addition to her pastorship, she's recorded time and again with industry notables such as Whitney Houston for The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack, she starred in the Broadway play Born To Sing for three sold-out seasons, and she just made her film debut with Halle Berry in Why Do Fools Fall In Love? Oh, and she recorded a Christmas album, too.
So, what should you expect from Christmas With Shirley Caesar? Nothing less than "church." Caesar even adds a short spoken sermon in the song "O Christmas Tree." This album combines the liveliness of a choir back-up with the finesse of carefully arranged tunes. The result falls short of the power of a free-for-all, live black gospel choir album, but is lively and engaging.
Included are new arrangements of some classic Christ-centered carols along with a few new compositions. Most of the words will be familiar (with the possible exception of the Latin version of "Ave Maria"), but the arrangements are slightly different than the traditional carols. In all cases, they bring Caesar's vocals to the fore.
Christmas With Shirley Caesar isn't going to be for everyone. It's no doubt perfect for anyone who appreciates black gospel and urban music, and it should probably extend to many other music fans, too. I think that this album would work better in a family/worship situation than at a casual Christmas party; but then again, why not? And, if you aren't into black gospel and you are open to expanding your musical tastes, who better to introduce you than The First Lady of Gospel, anyway?
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1998CeCe WinansHis Gift
2005Out of EdenHymns
2004Allen & AllenUnconditional Love
2004Pastor Rudolph McKissick Jr. / The Word and Worship Mass ChoirWhat a Time!
1996Fred Hammond & Radical For ChristThe Spirit Of David
