Less than a year after the release of her first record, Britain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle now presents the world with her second effort, a holiday release entitled The Gift. One can only imagine that her staggering level of fame, added to the tried-and-true trope of a holiday album, will lead to mad sales for the Scottish songbird. If you’re anything like me, though, you’re bound to be skeptical of anyone whose rise to musical prominence comes via a television show. And for us, the question stands: is The Gift actually any good?

Haters be damned; this woman can sing! The vocals on The Gift deliver. The legions of critics who’ve extolled the virtues of Boyle’s vocal ability were correct. Listen to The Gift; Boyle’s voice truly soars here. Take a track like “O Come All Ye Faithful.” You’ll wish your church had singers like this! The main problem lies with the rest of the sounds on the album. Boyle’s production crew essentially bury The Gift in a wash of sappy strings, overwrought piano and choirs that occasionally drown out our star’s lead vocals. The album never pushes its tempo above that of a coma patient’s heartbeat, which leads to a pretty same-sounding, drowsy listening experience. “The First Noel” breaks from this slightly to give us some crisp acoustic guitar accompaniment, thus taking its place as my favorite song on the album. Continue reading »