John Denver
's music always had a warm, home-spun quality to it, so it isn't surprising that his 1975 holiday effort,
Rocky Mountain Christmas
, is a wonderfully low-key and friendly Christmas album. Divided between classic carols and new numbers, such as the fine "Aspenglow" and "Christmas for Cowboys," the album is an appealing, pretty record, perfect for late nights by the fireside. The 1998 CD reissue adds five bonus tracks: "Jingle Bells," "White Christmas," "The Music is You," "Perhaps Love," and "Dreamland Express." ~ Rodney Batdorf