Admittedly, it’s tough to get into the Christmas spirit when you’re still stocking up on your trick-or-treat candy and picking out a pumpkin to carve, but I’m already on my fourth such holiday album this year, and Mandisa’s is certainly proving worth a listen. Following her vocal workout on “That’s What Christmas Means to Me,” the singer moves into a mostly traditional rendition of “Feliz Navidad,” with an interesting segue into a bridge of “Joy to the World” in midsteam.

The album also features two duets, the first being the sentimental “Christmas Makes Me Cry” with Matthew West. The song explores the mix of emotions people experience during the holiday season in a mostly optimistic manner, as the singers talk of loved ones past and soldiers spending the holidays in danger overseas, causing them both to shed “tears of thankfulness, tears of hope / I cry tears of joy at Christmas because I know / there is peace on Earth for every heart to find / and sometimes Christmas makes me cry.” Mandisa and West work well as duet partners, and I’d love to hear them perform together more.

The other duet is with Christian music icon, Michael W. Smith, who performs “Christmas Day” with Mandisa. The song has a grand scope feel to it, like it could be sung over a Christmas movie finale, complete with a children’s choir on the chorus. It’s musically moving, but the actual lyrics aren’t particularly outstanding in rhyme or message.

Perhaps my favorite track of the entire album is the “Christmas Bell Medley,” as it contains within it my all-time favorite holiday tune, “Carol of the Bells.” However, the track first kicks off with “Silver Bells,” moving into “Carol of the Bells” at about the halfway point and then finishing with “Christmas Bells are Ringing.” The entire production has a very upscale jazzy feel to it, performed with a very Manhattan Transfer style by the backup singers.

The bulk of the album contains traditional songs — although I’d probably not list “Children Go Where I Send Thee” as a traditional Christmas song, despite it’s starting verse. This is a nice, old school R&B take on the spiritual, and you’ll want to wait until your disc quits spinning before pulling it out of the player because this album finale has a sneaky little silent spot on it before falling back into a serious church revival of a chorus.

“O Holy Night” has a bit of the smokey lounge act to it, offering a unique if not entirely divergent take on the classic. “Silent Night” is given the reverential treatment it deserves, performed over an orchestral arrangement that doesn’t stray from the familiar. “Little Drummer Boy” is also largely traditionally performed — until the drum majors take it over! This is one that sounds like you’d really like to see it performed live. And “Angels We Have Heard on High” is a nice, fresh arrangement — light yet soulful, set to a classical guitar and building to powerful improvisations before dropping back.

On the whole, It’s Christmas is a very good compilation, with a couple of outstanding performances — easily recommended as a new addition to your collection of holiday albums.