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