Women & Songs Christmas

Women & Songs Christmas isn't an apt title for a compilation of Yuletide tunes from the likes of Jewel, Sarah Slean, Sarah McLachlan, the Rankin women, and Emmylou Harris. A more accurate title would've been "A Very Lilith Christmas." The 17 songs here vary in terms of texture, but overall an easy-listening Lilith Fair vibe pervades through the songs. There are a few gems — Harris' version of "What Child Is This" and The Pretenders' "2000 Miles" key among them — that convey a true sense of warmth and passion that is so integral to the Yuletide season. The disc also unfortunately features vacuous pabulum — Jewel's Christmas-themed "Hands" and Holly Cole's flat-lining "Please Come Home for Christmas" being the key offenders. With the aid of a CD program function, however, one should be able to easily weed out the sour notes on decent seasonal compilation.