Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album CD

Personnel: Jessica Simpson (vocals); Jessica Simpson; GA, Tye Tribbett (vocals); Pete Wallace (guitars, piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards, programming, drum programming); Christopher Rojas (electric guitar, violin, keyboards, keyboard programming, drum programming); Dave Mann (flute, saxophone, horns); David Mann (flute, saxophone); Gary Haase (horns, bass guitar); George Whitty (horns); Larry Loftin, Larry Loftin (background vocals); Nick Lachey, Ashlee Simpson (vocals); Billy Mann (guitar, acoustic guitar, nylon-string guitar, flute, background vocals); Paul Pimsler (guitar); Buddy Williams (drums); Jennifer Paige (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Andy Zulla.
Recording information: Headman Recording, New York, NY; House Of Blues Studios, LA; Pyramid Studios, New York, NY; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA; Turtle Sound Studios, New York, NY.
Photographer: Gilles Bensimon.
Arrangers: Jessica Simpson; Nick Lachey; Christopher Rojas; Pete Wallace; Billy Mann.
Jessica Simpson has always seemed more comfortable in glitzy, show-biz surroundings, so it's not a surprise that her 2004 holiday release, Rejoyce: The Christmas Album, never approaches the old-fashioned manners implied in the title and instead wallows in the big, brassy, over-the-top spectacle of show biz. Rejoyce is a Christmas album that sounds like it was recorded at a Las Vegas revue. It's filled with showstoppers and grandstanding, relying on the tried-and-true seasonal classics while offering a couple of new songs almost as an afterthought. It's bright and incessantly cheerful, always seeming loud even during its quietest moments because the music itself is bold and brassy. While she sounds a little too breathy on occasion, Simpson acquits herself well on the record, and the entire enterprise will surely please her fans, particularly those who like her persona just a little bit better than her singing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Given that Jessica Simpson's father is a former youth minister, it's no surprise that she'd inevitably pay homage to her favorite holiday via REJOYCE: THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM. Named in honor of her grandmother, this Yuletide outing is quite the Simpson family affair, with husband Nick Lachey popping up on a slinky duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and little sister Ashlee playing it straight on a lush rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy."
Despite the largely chaste atmosphere, Simpson looks to holiday precedents set by Mariah Carey, Madonna, and Eartha Kitt in vamping up her phrasing on "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and the breathy original "It's Christmas Time Again." On the more traditionally religious fare, Simpson avoids a conservative approach. Instead, she looks to lively Baptist praise for inspiration on "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," with its swinging arrangements and brassy gospel accompaniment, while "O Holy Night" benefits from light organ and country-tinged piano accompaniment.