A Christmas to Remember

1	A Christmas to Remember 4:21
2	Christmas Can't Be Very Far Away 3:15
3	Silent Night / Adam Paul Williams 3:46
4	Christmas Lullaby (I Will Lead You Home) 3:10
5	Highland Cathedral / Ronn Huff 2:49
6	Jingle Bell Rock / Brenna Williams 2:25
7	Mister Santa 2:29
8	'Til the Season Comes 'Round Again 5:03
9	Gabriel's Oboe / Ronn Huff 2:14
10	Welcome to Our World 2:56
11	Agnus Dei 6:14

Barnes & Noble

In many artists' hands, Christmas albums seem a cynical marketing ploy. Not so with Amy Grant, the most successful Christian vocalist of the last two decades. A Christmas to Remember displays the sincerity and variety that has made her annual "Tennessee Christmas" concerts so successful. Several selections ("Silent Night," "Angus Dei") have the strong devotional bent one might expect, while others ("Christmas to Remember," the lightly swinging "Christmas Can't Be Very Far Away") celebrate family and tradition in more secular terms. "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Mr. Santa," a jazzy rewrite of "Mister Sandman," represent the season's lighter side, and the serene instrumentals "Highland Cathedral" and "Gabriel's Oboe" complete the package. Some may find the more contemporary numbers bland, but Grant sings warmly and tastefully throughout. This collection is sure to delight fans of Grant's similarly themed Home for Christmas (1992) and A Christmas Album (1983), or of well-crafted mainstream vocal music in general. Franklin Bruno

All Music Guide

Amy Grant's previous two holiday releases (1983's Christmas Album and 1992's Home for Christmas) focused on traditional tunes, so there was little for Grant to do on her third holiday album but branch out. A Christmas to Remember concentrates on contemporary and original songs -- "Christmas Can't Be Very Far Away," "'Til the Season Comes 'Round Again," "Christmas Lullaby (I Will Lead You Home)," "Mister Santa" (a rehash of "Mr. Sandman"), and "Welcome to Our World" -- and flirts with jazz and big band sounds. The few classics ("Agnus Dei," "Highland Cathedral," "Silent Night") sound a little clumsy when coupled with "Jingle Bell Rock," but Grant's fans will be pleased with her conventional, amiable album. Gina Boldman