White Christmas

White ChristmasIt’s difficult to conceive of a less imaginative project; song selection, arrangements, even album title all emanate from the stock Yuletide script. Then again, Christmas isn’t about innovation, is it? It’s about smiles and curling up by the fire and listening to the same songs over and over. For those purposes, McBride’s holiday offering will suit you just dandy. Her lovely voice is capable of enormous power and delicate nuance. Dennis Burnside’s arrangements don’t match up in most cases, although the perky, harp-filled “Let It Snow” and the dark-toned “Away in a Manger” and “What Child Is This” are more attractive than the others. Still, even McBride’s substantial pipes can’t rescue this record from the doldrums; it overtly distances itself from the whole of her country-music roots. –Marc Greilsamer