One of my favorite childhood Christmas memories is my mother’s albums of carols. You know, those compilation albums with some artists putting their own spin on the carol and others singing it pretty straight. Since the advent of CDs, I’ve built a small collection of Christmas music, ranging from the cheesy compilations I loved in childhood to early music recordings I’ve come to love.
There’s a fantastic new album available. Wynonna Judd’s A Classic Christmas is just that–a classic. She does familiar songs without tarting them up. Her Ave Maria is outstanding.