Additional personnel: Mandisa.
No stranger to albums celebrating the birth of Jesus, Christian pop superstar Michael W. Smith presents his third holiday release with 2007's IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS. Highlights of this Yuletide offering by the easy-going singer/keyboardist include the sweepingly orchestral "Song for the King" and the comforting "Christmas Day," a gentle, nostalgic duet with the AMERICAN IDOL contestant Mandisa.
Smitty's third holiday album was epic in scope, with four choirs and a 65-piece orchestra offering plenty of Christmas grandeur. Close to half of the album is instrumental, which drew comparisons to 2000s Freedom. The vocal numbers like "The Promise" and "Christmas Morning" draw Smith's trademark personal touch. The album falls somewhere between 1989's Christmas and 1998's Christmastime, utilizing the full sound of the backing groups to its greatest extent. In its best moments, the album exudes the same mastery of the adult contemporary sound as Jim Brickman's The Gift. Give credit to this contemporary Christian vet for adding so richly to the Christmas songbook at a point in his career that so few reach and at which even fewer make meaningful contributions to their respective genres. ~ Jared Johnson minimize