It's kind of surprising that it took Jewel Kilcher this long to release a Christmas album. She could have easily rode the coattails of her debut smash Pieces Of You and the hits "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant For Me," capitalizing on her new-found fame.

Ah, but that would have been too easy - and the end result probably would have sounded half-hearted, rushed, and extremely commercial. No, instead Jewel sat back and allowed some time to pass - which also gave her time to carefully plan out a holiday release.

The end result, Joy: A Holiday Collection, has some amazing tracks that showcase her voice in ways one might not have thought possible. And while there are a few missteps on this project, this disc is still a very enjoyable listen.

One added bonus is a video that can be viewed by popping this disc in your CD-ROM drive and hopping on to the Internet. Off of the Atlantic Web site, you can view a video for the song "Gloria" -- a video which doesn't have much to do with Christmas (then again, how do you portray Christmas when you're recording in New York City in July?), but is kind of Fellini-esque in its beauty.

What the video accomplishes is that it sets Jewel aside from many modern-day pop artists in that she's not afraid to take on the religious aspects of the holiday's music and embrace it. Her takes on songs like "Gloria," "Ave Maria" and "O Holy Night" are absolutely beautiful. I had tears in my eyes listening to "Ave Maria," I thought she was that good.

Of course, Jewel tackles more secular material on Joy: A Holiday Collection, and in some instances, this works just as well. Okay, I know that songs like "Silent Night" and "Joy To The World" still have a religious theme to them, but they're more commonly-heard Christmas songs in comparison to "Ave Maria." Jewel keeps the more solemn aspects of these songs while putting her own unique signature on the music. This attack only falters once -- on her version of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," which doesn't sound like it was ever meant for a be-bop country style.

There are only two other times that Jewel stumbles, and it's because I would have questioned whether the selections should have been put on a Christmas album. One track, "Face Of Love," is beautiful, but it just doesn't seem to fit the same mold as the rest of the album. Likewise, the "Christmas" version of her single "Hands" (originally from her more recent studio effort Spirit) -- was it really necessary for her to plug her previous album that way?

Still, these flaws are not major, and Joy: A Holiday Collection proves itself to be a seasonal album worth its weight in gold -- or myrrh, or snow, or whatever you have handy. Jewel chose to wait to do such an album -- and with one or two minor exceptions, the end result is stellar.

Rating: A-

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