Garth Brooks & the Magic of Christmas

Personnel includes: Garth Brooks (vocals); Mark Casstevens (acoustic guitar); Chris Leuzinger (electric guitar); The Nashville String Machine (strings); Jeff Bailey, Ernie Collins, Mark Douthit, Chris Dunn, Robert Green, Michael Haynes, Don Jackson, Sam Levine, Chris McDonald, Douglas Moffet, Steve Patrick, Denis Solee, George Tidwell (horns); Blair Masters (Hammond B-3 organ); Bobby Wood (keyboards); Mike Chapman (bass); Milton Sledge (drums); Sam Bacco (percussion).
Recorded at Jack's Tracks Recording Studios, Nashville, Tennessee.
Like every good businessman, Garth Brooks knows the value of diversifying his portfolio. Would any other country star release a rock concept album (IN THE LIFE OF CHRIS GAINES) and a traditional Christmas album in the same year? Wait--make that a traditional big-band Christmas album. Unlike Brooks' 1992 Christmas CD, BEYOND THE SEASON, THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS swings with Sinatra-esque arrangements, as Brooks croons his way through yuletide standards like "Winter Wonderland," "Let It Snow," and "White Christmas."
The full string and horn sections, plus a backing choir, give the album a full, rich sound, and Brooks sings in a higher, more delicate register that's completely twang-free. But the best tracks on the album are the gospel numbers--"Baby Jesus Is Born" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain"--which Brooks sings with the fervor of a minister in a Baptist church. On these tracks, the big-band style is dropped in favor of simple arrangements and terrific, rousing vocal performances. If you're a Garth fan who felt betrayed by CHRIS GAINES, THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS will have you dancing around the tree singing, "Come home Garth--all is forgiven."