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Mindy Smith
My Holiday
(Vanguard)
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2007, Volume 14, #11
Written by John Metzger
Mon November 26, 2007, 06:45 AM CST
It’s easy to make a disposable Christmas album filled with familiar holiday
fare, one that will be played a few times and then forgotten, long before the
carcasses of decaying trees are hauled to the curb and buried beneath a mountain
of snow. It’s far more challenging, however, to create an outing that not only
survives the season, but also returns year after year, slowly assimilating
itself so deep into popular culture that it eventually becomes a certifiable
classic. Without question, it takes as much luck as it does talent to forge new
traditions, and every time a routine is turned into a custom, the process
becomes a little bit more difficult to repeat. Consequently, many artists don’t
even bother trying. Instead, they simply view Yuletide efforts as cash cows, and
they subsequently get in and out of the recording studio as rapidly as possible,
making adequate if immediately forgettable endeavors. Mindy Smith’s My
Holiday is, therefore, the exception to the rule. It is the rare kind of
seasonal collection that is so expertly crafted that it actually achieves a high
level of durability, and it very well could prove to be the turning point that
gives Smith an opportunity to reach the sizeable audience that previously had
eluded her.
Split nearly down the middle between original fare and cover songs, My
Holiday works on multiple levels in terms of both its musical and lyrical
themes. With the exception of a pair of tracks that are tucked toward the end of
the set — the updated, alt-rock-oriented rendition of I’ll Be Home for
Christmas and the edgy, Bangles-inspired, Byrds-ian flavors of Come
Around — the bulk of My Holiday parlays its blend of jazz, country,
bluegrass, and pop into an unassuming but, nonetheless, potent suite of material
that is pretty, light, quiet, and graceful. It is the perfect companion for a
night spent decorating the tree or basking in the warm glow of the fireplace.
Although Smith’s interpretation of The Christmas Song — the endeavor’s
weakest link — won’t replace Nat King Cole’s seminal version of the tune, it
does the trick. At the same time, the gentle, country-tinged bounce of I Know
the Reason — which not only features Thad Cockrell but also feels as if it
is a lost track from Ryan Adams or Josh Rouse — has the words "hit single"
written all over it. My Holiday’s true delights, however, come when it is
studied more closely.
Smith’s vocals, in particular, are better than ever. They simultaneously are
seductive and sweet, and a large part of what is so alluring about them is how
magnificently Smith leaves enough room in her singing style for some of the
material to span a complexly broad range of emotions. There are moments when it
would be just as accurate to interpret My Holiday’s songs as melancholy
and reflective as it would be to call them contented and happy. This ambiguity
hits hardest on tracks such as What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve and
Silver Bells, where the listener’s frame of mind plays a role in
establishing the mood. Nevertheless, even when Smith plays it straight, she
strikes an elegant pose that works beautifully. On Away in the Manger,
for example, she and Alison Krauss bend their voices around the familiar melody,
and their harmonies sparkle and shine with a gospel-bred resplendence that is
positively stunning.
Simply put, My Holiday is far more than a loosely knit collection of
songs, and the more it is played, the more it also begins to sound like
something other than just a Christmas album. Smith clearly approached the
endeavor in much the same way as she tackled her two previous efforts One
Moment More and, to a greater extent, Long Island Shores. As a
result, My Holiday continues to build upon everything that she has
learned about her strengths and her weaknesses. There are connections that bind
each track to the next, which gives the outing a deliberative ebb and flow.
My Holiday is as spiritual as it is secular; it is as much about falling in
love as it is about the Christmas season. For an outing that initially appears
as if it might simply be a placeholder in her canon, My Holiday proves
itself to be surprisingly moving, and it unquestionably is Smith’s grandest
statement yet. 
Other Christmas Album Reviews at The Music Box
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Everything You Want for Christmas
Putumayo Presents: New Orleans Christmas
To Kate: A Benefit for Kate's Sake
My Holiday is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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