Mindy Smith
My Holiday
Vanguard Records
If there was ever a perfect voice for a soothing, comforting Christmas album, Mindy Smith’s would be it. On My Holiday,” Smith sets the mood with 11 beautiful tracks that could become just as much a tradition as opening presents.
Smith wrote two of the tracks (the lovely title track and “Come Around”) and co-wrote three (two with fellow country star Chely Wright who also wrote “It Really is (a Wonderful Life)”). Most new Christmas songs seem to try to add more by being louder, completely restructuring the song, screeching notes that make dogs go deaf, or seeing how many notes they can hit in a five second period. Smith does none of that. One of her strongest vocal and song qualities is simplicity. She takes every track (both new and traditional) and doesn’t try to do anything drastic.
She puts her own comforting trademark on classics like “The Christmas Song,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Silver Bells,” while providing uplifting new classics like “Santa Will Find You” and “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”
Mindy Smith may only have two other albums besides My Holiday, but she has cemented her name among the great Americana/folk singers of this generation. This is another classic to add to the catalog.
Vanguard Records: http://www.vanguardrecords.com
