Reba McEntire Album: “Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection”

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Personnel: Reba McEntire (vocals); B. James Lowry, Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Jeff King, Brent Mason, Jerry McPherson (electric guitar); Terry Crisp, Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Will Smith (auto harp); Larry Franklin (fiddle); Jimmy Nichols (keyboards, background vocals); Glenn Worf (acoustic & electric basses); Richard "Spady" Brannan (bass); Eddie Bayers (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Liana Manis, Joe Chemay, Mrs. Northcutt's Third Grade Music Class (background vocals). <p>Engineers include: Kevin Beamish, Steve Marcantonio, Derek Bason. <p>Includes liner notes by Reba McEntire. <p>SECRET OF GIVING is Reba McEntire's first holiday collection since 1987. McEntire has created a holiday album that includes only two standards: "I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus" (customized for her son, Shelby) and "Up On the Housetop." The rest of the songs all date from the '90s, from goosebump-inducing "Mary Did You Know?" to the rousing "One Child, One Day." <p>The best songs are two that perfectly capture a modern woman's struggle to make Christmas special. In "The Angels Sang," a harried working mom struggles to make it to her son's Christmas pageant, only to have her faith restored unexpectedly. In "Santa Claus Is Coming Back to Town," a divorcee deals with conflicting emotions after her ex announces he wants to come over and play Santa for their kids. But it's the inclusion of "This Christmas," a special prayer of hope noting that 2000 is the 2000th birthday of Christ, that makes SECRET OF GIVING the perfect holiday CD for the new millennium.