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Release Date: September 30, 2008 Label: Sparrow Grade: C+

There will always be a part of me that really wants to like new Amy Grant projects. Having grown up during the time when Grant was making a name for herself with Christian classics like "El Shaddai" and "Father's Eyes," I keep hoping for new music from her along that same caliber. And while there are songs on The Christmas Collection that are good, it's yet another reminder that you can't go home again.

Unfortunately for this album, it opens with Grant's broadway-esque treatment of "Jingle Bells." It's instantly annoying with its double-time asyncopated rhythms that downshift back to normal speed at unexpected intervals. It's showy and exudes a forced enthusiasm -- a bit like walking into the middle of "Meet Me in St. Louis" with Grant playing a tipsy Judy Garland.

Fortunately, the album also has "I Need A Silent Night," a much more enjoyable tune and commentary on the commercialization of the season, mixed with the nostalgia that comes by comparing it to Christmases of childhood. The chorus laments, "I need a silent night / a holy night / to hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise. / I need a midnight clear / a little peace right here / to end this crazy day with a silent night." Yes, it plays off the title of a better carol, and pulls in other titles to build its verses, but it has a feel and a message that resonates with the older listener. This is the song that should have kicked off this collection, as it would have set a stronger tone and made a much better first impression.

For the most part, this collection is just that -- a collection of familiar songs performed by Grant on previous albums or new for this album. "Sleigh Ride," "Winter Wonderland," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and "Tennessee Christmas" are among the older and more modern standards, as is Grant's rendition of Irving Berlin's "Count Your Blessings" and an early Grant Christmas classic, "Grown-Up Christmas List." Some are done with a more traditional delivery, while others are slightly jazzed up (like "Winter Wonderland") or have interestingly mixed arrangements. "Breath of Heaven" is ear-catching -- haunting, even -- and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" starts out a capella before building into an orchestral explosion. Interspersed between these tracks, however, you get songs like "Baby, It's Christmas," with some of the most syrupy, soporific and just plain tired lyrics I've ever heard, and "A Christmas to Remember," a peppy little tune if a bit dated in its feel.

Overall, there are plenty of songs on this disc worth putting into your holiday rotation. As an album in toto, however, it's unremarkable and mostly without risks on the part of the artist -- and where risks were taken, they generally fell flat.