Let It Be Christmas

1	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 2:58
2	Winter Wonderland 2:18
3	O Come All Ye Faithful 3:18
4	Santa Claus Is Coming to Town 2:42
5	The Christmas Song 3:52
6	Silent Night 3:47
7	Let It Be Christmas 4:11
8	Jingle Bells 2:50
9	White Christmas 3:19
10	Silver Bells 3:36
11	Away in a Manger 2:49

Barnes & Noble

In 1993, Alan Jackson struck a blow for the old school with Honky Tonk Christmas, a bopping celebration in the spirit of its title. Nine years later, he returns to the Yuletide theme with Let It Be Christmas, but this time he casts ten seasonal standards, and one exceptional original tune, in the style of the Great American Songbook, with string-laden orchestral arrangements, by turns swinging and soothing, and a cooing background chorus. Singing with conviction and emotion, Jackson gets the most out of his sturdy baritone, which loses none of its country flavor in the midst of these pop arrangements, making for a most scintillating musical blend. You'd have to go back to Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas for a more moving interpretation of "O Come, All Ye Faithful." "Jingle Bells" gets some glide in its stride via a swinging big-band arrangement out of the '40s, and Jackson even gives Nat King Cole's definitive treatment of "The Christmas Song" a run for its money with a vocal that radiates warmth and bonhomie (with kudos to keyboardist extraordinaire Matt Rollings for his tasty, jazz-inflected piano accompaniment). Jackson's lilting, country-flavored original, "Let It Be Christmas," expresses hope that the holiday spirit will endure beyond December 25th: "Let it be Christmas everywhere/Let Heavenly music fill the air/Let anger and fear disappear/Let there be love that lasts through the year." It's an instant holiday classic -- the first such in years -- and the album as a whole belongs in that category as well. David McGee

All Music Guide

Alan Jackson returned just months after the zeitgeist-defining, blockbuster success of "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," with his holiday album, Let It Be Christmas. Jackson has always been a bit of a traditionalist, but it's still kind of surprising just how traditional this album is, recalling seasonal records from the '50s and '60s instead of the glitzy, lavish productions of the '80s and '90s. This is a brilliant move, actually, since the warm, intimate arrangements that dominate the album give Jackson's rich baritone a perfect counterpoint, even when he stretches out with big-band arrangements on occasion (where Garth Brooks sounded lost surrounded by blaring big bands on The Magic of Christmas, Jackson glides into the lazy swing of "Winter Wonderland" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"). Smartly, these are almost all popular classics, apart from the title song which is a nice original from Jackson in the vein of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "White Christmas," meaning it's closer to traditional pop than country music. Out of all country music, it's closest to Western swing when it veers toward big bands, but there's not even a touch of countrypolitan here -- it's all Sinatra and Johnny Mathis. Instead of sounding incongruous, it's a perfect fit for a warm crooner such as Jackson, and by concentrating on classics, Let It Be Christmas is much stronger than most contemporary Christmas album. In fact, this is the best holiday album, regardless of genre, in many a moon. It has a rich, burnished feel that's perfect for snowy nights by the fire and the Christmas tree. Stephen Thomas Erlewine