My Gift

Carrie Underwood's first Christmas album is a stately, sober affair. Part of this is due to the pomp and circumstance Greg Wells -- a Grammy winner for his work on The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack -- lends to the production. Everything on My Gift proceeds at a steady pace, adorned with very few bells and whistles, a sparse choice that helps highlight how Underwood chooses to sing primarily religious-themed material. The exceptions to this rule are the John Stephens/Toby Gad number "Hallelujah," sung as a duet with John Legend, and the secular standard "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," selections that highlight how the other nine songs are more somber celebrations, including her new original "Let There Be Peace." Not all of it is tasteful -- having her young son Isaiah Fisher sing a bit of "The Little Drummer Boy" conjures memories of Clint Holmes' "Playground in My Mind" -- but enough of it is to make this a soundtrack for an understated, rather elegant holiday gathering. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine