Christmas comes around fast. Around this time last year, we were sampling Mandisa's take on Christmas with her 4 track Christmas Joy EP. Expanding on that, It's Christmas opens up to a wide variety of the voice and sound the Christian music world has recently come to know and embrace. To be blunt, this isn't an album that shouldn't be taken lightly; it's a born-to-be classic.

Classics that never seem to get old are widely present here. "Christmas Bell Medley" packs a three-in-one punch while Mandisa's big vocals prevail on "O Holy Night" and "Silent Night." "Mary's Little Boy Child" finds her taking on a track that has been covered by artists like B.E. Taylor and Nat King Cole. Another standout includes a duet with Michael W. Smith, "Christmas Day," which, although first featured on Smitty's own Christmas record last year, is truly a classic and is highly deserving of any attention it can get. "Christmas Makes Me Cry," a duet with Matthew West and also an track from last year's EP, shows up here again and inevitably is another hit, while "Children Go Where I Send Thee" is a fun, rhythmic album closer.

True originality warrants this album to receive high marks. Mandisa makes each song her own from start to finish. The combination of originals along with traditionals, including a few lesser-known classics, equate to the right formula. That's most likely what will keep It's Christmas playing in households for many Christmases to come.

- PReview date: 9/21/08, Review date: 10/12/08, written by Logan Leasure