Reviewed by Isaac Poulton

The singer/songwriter from California has long been a Cross Rhythms radio favourite and this Christmas project, originally released in 2007, is vastly superior to most of those yuletide offerings which clog up the release schedules every year. To my ears, JJ has the best voice I have ever heard. Soft as silk and never even slightly off-note, it flows effortlessly through the album. Her vocal talent is the predominant element on every one of the songs, especially in the rendition of "Silent Night" which is done without any backing at all. There is more to the album than just JJ's vocal articulations. Indeed, there are some wonderfully deft instrumental work. Take for example the piano in "We Three Kings", the sustained notes are unobtrusive and add just what is needed to the piece; the same goes for the guitar in "Christmastime". Try as I might, I find it genuinely hard to discover a fault with this EP. The production is fantastically done, the vocals are sublime and if you find a better Christmas release than this one I'll be surprised.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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