Stars Shine Bright in ‘Colors of Christmas’

Much of Christmas’ magic lies in its music. And there was a sleigh load’s worth Friday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, where a gathering of vocal stars touring under the banner “Colors of Christmas” opened a three-night run.

Peabo Bryson, Roberta Flack, Melissa Manchester and Aaron Neville, working alone and in various combinations, sang traditional Christmas favorites, contemporary holiday music and individual hits backed by full orchestra under the direction of Gail Deadrick.

Some songs received added excitement by the rousing, 22-piece Voices of Faith Choir from Faithful Central Baptist Church in Inglewood, directed by Barbara Allen. The choir’s presence gave the concert a heady, revival-meeting feel with soaring harmonies, hand-clapping rhythms and strong devotional zeal.

In fact, the choir, stationed in a loft above the stage, threatened to steal the show from its better-known co-stars. Its participation brought depth to Flack’s reading of “O Come All Ye Faithful” and emotion to the finale, “Oh, How Precious.”

The choir’s energetic version-with-a-backbeat of the “Hallelujah!” Chorus from Handel’s “Messiah” was the evening’s most animated and stirring performance, without participation from any of the headliners.

But the stars had their moments. Bryson’s spirited reading of “The Most Wonderful Time,” delivered as he circulated through the audience, shaking hands and acknowledging greetings, seemed genuine as he avoided the stylized delivery that branded much of his other work.

Neville’s understated reading of “O Holy Night” was warm and intimate, a decided change from the deathly serious presentations the piece frequently receives. Manchester’s treatment of her hit “Come In From the Rain” was sincere and heartfelt, feelings most appropriate to the “Colors” program.

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The contrasting styles of the four vocalists were apparent from the start, when each took a line from “Go Tell It on the Mountain” as they came onstage.

Manchester’s voice was clean and direct, Flack’s deep and meaningful, Neville’s light, airy and touched with tremolo. Only Bryson’s over-stylized approach seemed at odds in this context, despite the spiritual mood of the piece.

Duo performances were friendly and noncompetitive, with Bryson and Flack combining for a touching “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and Neville and Bryson doing justice to Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” Bryson and Manchester’s reading of Bryson’s hit from the movie “Aladdin,” “A Whole New World,” was hampered by the silent presence of Manchester’s two children onstage, both visibly (and humorously) embarrassed to be in the spotlight.

The most moving individual performance came when Neville, accompanied only by director Deadrick at the piano, sang “The Lord’s Prayer.” His pure pitch and tone were backed by a genuine sense of devotion.

While ego was a quality largely missing from the evening, it surfaced uncomfortably when Flack introduced her “Killing Me Softly” as “song of the century” (acknowledging the Fugees’ recent version in the process). Flack then proceeded to give the song a treatment as overblown as the claim. A little more modesty on Flack’s part might have helped that tiresome ballad succeed.