Mariah Carey Merry Christmas CD

At this stage of her career Mariah Carey does not need to prove herself, but her voice is so powerful that with each new recording she, once again, reminds you: "Listen to what I can do." Vocal gymnastics and Christmas songs are not often thought of as a compatible combination, but on MERRY CHRISTMAS Mariah jumps, climbs, crawls, twirls and dashes her way through both traditional fare and original Christmas songs.

She shifts through styles, offering fans from all musical camps a gift of their own. Her "Silent Night" shows off a studied vocalization where liquid phrasing is key. "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)" shows off a dynamic voice that is hard to match. She has fun with the Phil Spector goodie "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," a song straight out of '60s girl-group heaven. There is even a "Joy To The World" medley mixing the old and the new--the traditional Christmas song and the Three Dog Night hit. And, as usual, her gospel-voiced background singers are out in full force.

There are two ways to enjoy this album. One is to sit back and revel in Mariah Carey's vocal fireworks, and the other is to pour yourself a glass of egg-nog, get cozy by the tree and have yourself a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Recorded at the Hit Factory, New York.

Producers: Mariah Carey, Loris Holland, Walter Afanasieff.

Personnel: Mariah Carey (vocals); Dann Huff (guitar); Lenny Pickett (saxophone); Loris Holland (piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Greg Phillinganes (piano); Walter Afanasieff (Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, synthesizer, bass, tambourine, claps, programming); Randy Jackson, Kirk Lyons (bass); Buddy Williams, Bernard Davis, Omar Hakim (drums); Dave Silliman (percussion); Gary Cirimelli, Dan Shea, Robert Clivilles, David Cole (programming); Melonie Daniels, Shanrae Price, Kelly Price, Cindy Mizzelle (background vocals).

Children's Choir: Wayne Daniels, Jr., David Daniels, Nathan Daniels, Jodi Walton, 3D, Jazzmin Walton, Janaye Walton, Tobitha Shinique Owens.

Q (1/95, p.246) - 3 Stars - Good.