A Merry Little Christmas

by Zac JohnsonA surprising holiday album from Linda Ronstadt, who has chosen to include just a handful of standards and only one song in Spanish. The remainder of the tracks are traditional old English and Welsh Christmas songs, sung in Ronstadt's familiar warm voice. Highlights include a brassy duet with Rosemary Clooney on "White Christmas" and the contemporary "River," which sounds almost like the singer has been listening to a lot of Sarah McLachlan. On the whole, A Merry Little Christmas is a warm window into what Linda Ronstadt considers to be her favorite songs of the season.