In the wake of her
Titanic
success,
Celine Dion
produced two new albums for the holiday season of 1998. One was a new French album, and the other was
These Are Special Times
, her first
Christmas
album.
is an especially successful
holiday
album since
Dion
wisely balances popular
carols
(
"The Christmas Song,"
"Blue Christmas,"
"Feliz Navidad"
) with new songs (
"Don't Save It All for Christmas,"
the
R. Kelly
duet
"I'm Your Angel"
),
hymns
"Ave Maria,"
"Adeste Fidelis"
), and
songs with a distinct religious theme (
"O Holy Night,"
Andrea Bocelli
"The Prayer"
). At times, the production is too slick, at other times
's vocals are a little mannered, but overall,
is very effective, because the songs are good and she's committed to the material. Any fan of
, or of '90s
adult contemporary
pop
in general, should find this very enjoyable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine