Barry Manilow

The way Barry Manilow sheepishly peers out from the cover of A Christmas Gift of Love, it appears as if it just occurred to him that including Joni Mitchell’s bummer “River” on his second holiday record wasn’t the best of ideas. No worries, Barry, because for the most part, this is one swinging set of season’s greetings. Manilow decks the halls big and brassy on “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” and a “Happy Holiday/White Christmas” medley, and when he slows down for more reflective moments, such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” he croons with enough warmth to keep a mug of hot chocolate steaming on a chilly December day.

Contemplating the prospect of cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudel, he’s positively giddy running through The Sound of Music‘s “My Favorite Things,” which also features some outstanding bongo work. As he scats about little tin horns and little toy drums/root-toot toots and rum-a-dum dums on “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” Manilow conveys unfaltering belief in the jolly fat man. Even though his own original number, the titular “A Gift of Love,” is a present that deserves to be regifted, the disc still offers plenty of holiday cheer.