James Taylor at Christmas in Bloomington, MN

For the most part,
holiday
-themed albums are about as memorable as what you had for lunch a month ago. As humans continue to evolve, there's a very good chance that we'll develop some sort of yuletide audio bypass valve that will allow us to filter the three-and-a-half million versions of every
Christmas
song ever made into one solid rendition that either pleases or displeases us, and can be dealt with accordingly. That said,
James Taylor
's brilliantly titled
James Taylor at Christmas
is about as inoffensive a collection of seasonal classics as one could hope for. The legendary
singer/songwriter
's warm voice is the perfect vessel for
"Winter Wonderland,"
"Jingle Bells,"
and the
"Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)"
because it makes absolutely no impression on the listener. ~ James Christopher Monger