Susan Boyle Presents The Gift of Her Voice to the World

Last year, Scottish spinster Susan Boyle wowed the world with a powerhouse performance of I Dreamed a Dream on Britain’s Got Talent. A mere half a year later, her first album hit stores, and among the mix of pop standards and hymns was Silent Night, the only nod to its near-Christmas release. Given Boyle’s deep Christian faith and her knack for covering well-worn standards in a heartfelt manner, a full-blown Christmas album seemed all but inevitable, provided her career continued long enough for a second release. I just didn’t expect it quite so soon.

The Gift is the simple name of Boyle’s second, and much more seasonal, album. The front features her head shot, in which her eyes seem to twinkle in response to the enormous star on the left side of the cover. Shadowy buildings lurk below a spangled sky, and I can only presume we’re meant to be seeing the little town of Bethlehem. Inside, Boyle explains each of her song selections, which were chosen with the help of Nick Raymonde and scowling softie Simon Cowell, and in reference to the five Christmas songs, she expresses her love of the Nativity story. Unsurprisingly, The Gift is a reverent album. It’s her using the gift she was given and in turn presenting a gift to the world.

The album features only ten tracks, which is a bit on the slim side, though you won’t break the bank buying it; thanks to a timely coupon, I snagged mine for nine bucks, and it retails for just $14. While I would certainly consider this a Christmas album, three of the tracks are poppy and hardly qualify as Christmas songs, while another is religious but generally not associated with this season. Still another focuses not on Christmas but New Year’s Eve.

Perfect Day, the first track on the album, was the only song I didn’t recognize. Slow and romantic, this Lou Reed song features lovely piano and transcendent choral vocals, especially on the refrain. I also like the sweet simplicity of the image of two people feeding animals in the zoo and having a wonderful time doing so.

I was a little surprised to see Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah on the track list because Boyle comes across as so... innocent. And that song, much as I love it... isn’t. Boyle herself describes it as “macabre” and “dark,” yet she is drawn to it, and her piano-backed vocals are quite stirring. The choir again adds aural majesty, with the high harmonies sounding particularly ethereal. The song ends rather strangely, cutting off mid-verse before returning to the chorus; it takes a little getting used to, but I love the sense of vulnerability in her delivery, and leaving off the second half of the verse accentuates the beauty of the relationship rather than the brokenness.

Boyle does a nice job with Neil Finn’s Don’t Dream It’s Over, especially as she’s accompanied by the children’s choir from the Centre for Young Musicians in London. Having them on board adds to the sense of hope for the future. A cappella sensation Straight No Chaser recently included this in its first non-seasonal album, and I must admit I prefer that version, but only by a smidgen.

In eighth grade, I had a teacher who made everyone in our class memorize the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, so Make Me a Channel of Your Peace is familiar territory for me, and it seems to be the one track about which Boyle feels most strongly, as she sees herself an instrument of God’s peace, having been offered an opportunity to share her music and faith with the world. I don’t necessarily think of this as a Christmas song, though a version of it can be found embedded in A Simple Prayer, a much peppier track on The Little Drummer Boy by the Harry Simeone Chorale, a group practically synonymous with this time of year. In both contexts, it really seems more like a daily supplication than a particular consideration for this season, but it fits in well with the album, and Boyle’s vocals are beautiful.

Considering Boyle’s Scottish heritage, it seems quite fitting for her to sing Auld Lang Syne, that New Year’s standard by Robert Burns, one of that country’s most beloved poets. I also imagine the words must have some personal resonance for her, as this experience has probably given her cause to reevaluate some of the relationships in her life and determine which are most valuable. While I prefer Dan Fogelberg’s melancholy Same Old Lang Syne to the song from whose title it borrows, this track would be a nice way to ring in the new year.

Half of the album consists of straightforward religious Christmas songs. Her rendition of The First Noel is quiet, with acoustic guitar the most prominent instrument. Metro Voices, a classical choir, join her for this track, while the children’s choir is back for Away in a Manger, which utilizes the slightly less common melody for the Sunday School classic. In addition to Boyle, young soloist Jacob Ramsay-Patel deserves commendation for this one, as he performs the opening lines exquisitely. O Come All Ye Faithful, the final track on the album, is richly harmonic. Though it’s the shortest of the recordings, it closes out the CD on a high note.

I‘m always on the hunt for a rendition of O Holy Night that I can call my definitive version, as I consider it my favorite carol. I don’t think I can award that honor to Boyle, mostly because she omits my favorite verse, as do so many others who have recorded it. Nonetheless, hers is one of the most moving recordings of the song that I have heard, with the choir coming in at just the right time to lend the sense the we are catching the strains of a heavenly chorus. I also love the delicate harp accompaniment midway through the song.

I generally claim Do You Hear What I Hear? as my second-favorite Christmas song, and it’s a highlight of this album because it introduces Amber Stassi, the vocalist who won the Susan’s Search contest to sing a duet with her. The two women’s voices complement one another quite well, and Stassi’s has a warm, passionate tone to it that adds an impression of sincerity to her performance. My only complaint is that there is very little opportunity to hear Stassi and Boyle together, as they usually switch off on the verses. When they do harmonize, the effect is enchanting.

Among those listed in the credits, the most prominent seem to be Steve Mac and Dave Arch, who share arranging credit on several of the tracks. Instrumentalists include drummer Chris Laws, guitarist John Parricelli and accordionist Eddie Hession. The liner notes conclude with a plug for Boyle’s memoir, The Woman I Was Born To Be, which I haven’t picked up yet but hope to soon. As someone charmed by this woman’s unassuming manner and powerful voice, I’d love to learn more about what brought her to this point. In the meantime, I’ll be listening to her Christmas album and counting mine among the lives she has blessed with her God-given instrument.