Michael Mcdonald - Through the Many Winters: A Christmas Album

Blessed with one of the most distinctive set of pipes in the music world, Michael McDonald seems at first uncertain what to do with them on his long overdue debut Christmas album, Through the Many Winters. The record starts off slowly and quietly with "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night," both sparse, acoustic guitar arrangements and with about half the vocal power the former Doobie Brothers' leader has. But you don't have to wait long after these two tranquil moments for the soul engine to heat up and deliver. McDonald blazes into a Caribbean-styled medley "Come, O Come Emanuel/What Month Was Jesus Born," followed by a boogie-driven workout of "Deck the Halls/Jingle Bells." A lovely folkish duet with his wife Amy on the "Wexford Carol" and his own bluesy and wistful title track, plus a seductive, slow burin' version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and his triumphant Cajun romp on "Christmas on the Bayou," make this the McDonald tour de force you’d expect from one of the archangels out there among the heavenly hosts. Recommended. --Martin Keller

• Released: 2006-12-15
• Format: CD
• Genre: Holiday