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CHRISTMAS PRAYER
TELL IT/EMI
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Sure, this is a Christmas album, but what the Devil? It’s Aaron Neville. And Neville can croon a Chinese restaurant menu into poetry. When he’s singing "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Mary’s Boy Child," it seems he’s doing just that. Then, the kind of magic he’s been practicing since the 1960s, when he built his career on tunes like the romantic epic "Tell It Like It Is" and the funk masterpiece "Hercules," kicks in. Suddenly, on a "Joy to the World" he shares with gospel legends the Blind Boys of Alabama and in a lovely "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," his airy tenor begins to flutter and hitch like the wings of angels in a strong wind. It’s hard not to be touched, no matter how worn the material may be. There’s also Neville’s own "Christmas Everyday," which offers a departure in its breezy reggae arrangement. Speaking of winds: Neville lost his New Orleans home to Hurricane Katrina and is relocating to Nashville. He’s also donating 60 cents from each of these CDs to the Red Cross’s Crescent City relief effort, and they’ll be available at his Berklee concert this Wednesday, a Christmas-themed performance that will include his brother Charles on sax. Aaron Neville Quintet featuring Charles Neville | Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass Ave, Boston | Nov 30 | 617.931.2000
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