Celine Dion - These Are Special Times

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Artist: Celine Dion
Title: These Are Special Times
Year Released: 1998
Genre: Christmas
Format: Free Lossless Audio Codec


Track Listing:

01. O Holy Night
02. Don't Save It All For Christmas Day
03. Blue Christmas
04. Another Year Has Gone By
05. The Magic Of Christmas Day (God Bless Us Everyone)
06. Ave Maria
07. Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)
08. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
09. The Prayer [Duet with Andrea Bocelli]
10. Brahms' Lullaby
11. Christmas Eve
12. These Are The Special Times
13. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
14. I'm Your Angel (Duet with R. Kelly)
15. Feliz Navidad
16. Les Cloches du Hameau


Amazon Review:
It's almost impossible to believe it didn't already exist, but now that it does, you can bet the sure-to-go-platinum These Are Special Times will turn up under many a Christmas tree this year (the perfect gift for the person who has everything?). The prolific princess of pop has thrown together a mixture of contemporary and traditional holiday favorites, bordering on too-cute and kitschy only on the intro to "Feliz Navidad." For many, Dion is an acquired taste, but even naysayers may enjoy her rare moments of restraint on a smoky version of "Blue Christmas." "The Prayer," a duet with Andrea Bocelli, is set to become this season's "Time to Say Goodbye," but it will have to battle it out with the R. Kelly duet, "I'm Your Angel," first.

Allmusic Review:
In the wake of her Titanic success, Celine Dion produced two new albums for the holiday season of 1998. One was a new French album, and the other was These Are Special Times, her first Christmas album. These Are Special Times is an especially successful holiday album since Dion wisely balances popular carols ("The Christmas Song," "Blue Christmas," "Feliz Navidad") with new songs ("Don't Save It All for Christmas," the R. Kelly duet "I'm Your Angel"), hymns ("Ave Maria," "Adeste Fidelis"), and Christmas songs with a distinct religious theme ("O Holy Night," the Andrea Bocelli duet "The Prayer"). At times, the production is too slick, at other times Dion's vocals are a little mannered, but overall, These Are Special Times is very effective, because the songs are good and she's committed to the material. Any fan of Dion, or of '90s adult contemporary pop in general, should find this very enjoyable.