Merry Christmas Wherever You Are
George Strait is one of country music's GQ cowboys and leading male vocalists, and hisfirst Christmas recordis probably in every country holiday collection. This one won't be. Strait sounds about as engaged here as a perennial bench sitter on the hockey team. The CD mixes standards with middling originals, and Strait's puzzling choices of covers ("Jingle Bell Rock" at this stage of the game?) are only exacerbated by the likes of a story called "Noel Leon," about a guy who leaves his Christmas lights up all year round. Of course there's a sad side to the tale. You expect more from a guy who can emulateGeorge Jonesand find the writers who make even the most commercial work personable and memorable. Finally, what was he thinking when he covered "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"? Talk about getting caught in a whiteout.--Martin Keller