Touched By an Angel: Christmas Album

Touched By An Angel The Christmas Album by Various

As an incredibly successful TV drama that encourages the perseverance of the human spirit against all odds, Touched by an Angel is a natural outlet for the religious celebration of Christmas. The lineup is a veritable who's who of contemporary country, R&B, pop, and gospel, and the music is all smooth as butter, with pianos twinkling like lights on the tree. Angel star Della Reese contributes the mild R&B-inflected "I Can Dream." Country star Randy Travis, with a bounty of flutes and stringed instruments, adds his Nashville twang to the Elizabethan ballad "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Keb' Mo' contributes the finger-pickin' blues surprise "Jingle Bell Jamboree." Charlotte Church, the Welsh-born classical singer who topped the charts at the ripe old age of 12, delivers the incredibly poised "Panis Angelicus." Kirk Franklin collaborates with Crystal Lewis on "I Still Believe." Roma Downey closes things out with the dramatic spoken-word piece "An Irish Blessing." --Rob O'Connor