Joy

by Charles DonovanAnyone familiar with Manchester's early '80s oeuvre might imagine that her Christmas album would be an overly sentimental prospect. And that would be a pity, because Joy contained her most sensitive, understated performance in years. She controlled her tendency to belt and chose excellent material (mainly secular Hollywood material) that all listeners could relate to. Next to classics like "White Christmas," her own material fared surprisingly well -- it was her strongest for some time, and the five-piece ensemble arrangements are particularly tasteful, considering what an overcrowded, grandiose genre Christmas albums normally are.