Joy: A Holiday Collection

11/02/1999 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor

Pain: X-mas music. I don't know what it is about the season, but Christmas brings out the worst in people. Mostly it's just those always-in-a-hurry shoppers who maul you to the ground at the checkout counter and steal your parking spot by treacherous and aggressive means. But there's more. There's X-mas music. Piped in everywhere imaginable, the same 12 songs or so get regurgitated to the point where you feel bad for saying all those mean things about that Mambo tune.

Then you have to deal with the way these songs get sung. Sure enough, Jewel sings them with the solemnity of a choir director. Her chops are impeccable. But enough with the pious trillings, over and over. She's never been much of a lighthearted gal to begin with. Add church bells, a bevy of strings and a choir to "Hands" and guess what you got? A headache? And a "Christmas Version." Can't beat the season of "giving" can you?