Review and More

Our Review

Just last year, I reviewed Juanita's first holiday release, Sounds of Christmas, and it was an upbeat treat. Canadian Juanita has an excellent voice bursting with character and professionalism; she moves seamlessly through a broad range of vocal styles. Here she comes again with The Gift, which arrived in a slim little slip cover. This 2007 offering features Juanita's fabulous voice in a more substantial setting, providing 44 minutes of pop/rock pleasure, although it appears that several tracks are repeats from last year's Sounds of Christmas (so be careful if you bought last year's release).

The album's title refers to the gift that we all bring to this world, and the theme repeats itself several times throughout the release. The brief, spoken "forward" provides the artist's wish for the listeners, hoping that all will have faith in others and in ourselves, etc. A similar narrative occurs between the soulful Silent Night and the rhumba-driven Little Drummer Boy/Do You Hear What I Hear? medley; and the lovely title track closes the album with the admonition to look inside and unwrap the personal gift that is our legacy. While I cannot disagree with the narrated sentiments, and I enjoyed Juanita's presentation of The Gift, I personally prefer to separate my musical enjoyment from narrated self-improvement advice. Still, there is no denying the excellence of the musicality here. My favorite cuts are the two medleys. The Over the Rainbow/It Came Upon the Midnight Clear combo is well-matched, and the spliced pieces create a superb synergy. The latter medley (Little Drummer Boy/Do You Hear What I Hear) showcases the enviable flexibility of Juanita's voice; she growls and wails almost like a lionness here. At other times, she is the smoothest satin. What a terrific talent!

In addition to her impressive musical abilities, Juanita is philanthropic. This release supports the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, which provides toys and food vouchers for low-income families in Vancouver (www.lmcb.ca).

Juanita delivers The Gift this Christmas, letting us know that we all serve as "Santa" in our own special way. So unwrap the personal gift that is you, or if that prospect is too frightening, focus on Juanita's Gift instead. Ho, ho, ho!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2007)

More

From the liner notes:

Vocals and Keyboards: Juanita
Guitar: Ted Hesketh and Gord Davies
Bass: Kelly Breaks
Drums: Tim Anderson
Lyricue performance: Bill Chalmers
Produced by: Kelly Breaks and Juanita

We enter this world for a reason. In all of us, there are unique talents--skills that should be recognized. This season take time to look deep within yourself to find that gift. Share it with the world. Look at others, see their special gifts. Let someone know the greatness you see in them.
--Juanita


From the Website:

Juanita's 2007 release The Gift supports the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau [the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau provides food vouchers and toys for low income families in Vancouver; www.lmcb.ca].

Juanita

The Gift

Order from CD Baby

Track List