Negative Positive
Title: Jazzy, inspired... but a bit short
Review: It is really incredible to see Barry Manilow bounce back into the charts with one excellent album after the other, especially now that he clearly puts his emphasis on jazz."A Christmas Gift of Love" is certainly one of the best Christmas albums ever recorded, and the mix of standards, surprises and newly written material is just perfect. Barry Manilow's version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" is probably the best rendition this song ever received. Joni Mitchell's "River" is a perfect addition to the wonderful mood of this CD and the self-penned closing number makes you want to start playing it all over again immediately... which also brings me to the only minor irritation: at a mere 33 minutes this "Gift" could have included a bit more music or at least longer tracks.
Is the review positive or negative? 