Christmas with Yolanda Adams

With her stunning voice, striking beauty, boundless energy plus an unshakable faith, Yolanda Adams - long one of Gospel's biggest artists - has broken through to the mainstream on her Gold-selling Grammy-winning Elektra debut Mountain High...Valley Low, which features the current hit "Open My Heart."

Now Yolanda turns her talents to the joys of the season, on this, her first ever Christmas album.

The queen of modern R&B-influenced gospel soul brings a typically updated approach to this, her first Christmas album. Although the singing is less intense and earth-shatteringly amazing than on last year's breakthrough, Mountain High... Valley Low--how intense can one be when singing "Little Drummer Boy"? Her take on "It Came upon a Midnight Clear" is so thick with slow-jam funk that it almost loses its way, but it never does, and is instead a highlight of this solid (although not superlative) disc. Unfortunately, this is mostly a set of secular shopping mall tunes. One notable exception is "Born on This Day," which drops a heavy choir funk vibe. And her take on "O Holy Night" is so truly transporting that it'll have you taking a cue from the song and falling down on your knees in thanks for the many blessings of the holiday season. --James Conde