Christmas with Scotty McCreery (19 Recordings/Arista Nashville, 2012)

Hearing Scotty McCreery go into a spontaneous, Elvis-y C.C. Rider, right after a guitar-rocking, piano-pounding Santa Claus Is Back In Town makes "Christmas with Scotty McCreery" worthwhile. It's such a treat to have the boy wonder let loose and rock just a bit, rockabilly style. McCreery also rocks a touch during his version of Jingle Bells, which leaves him sounding more like Dwight Yoakam than Josh Turner, which is usually the comparative case.

Rockabilly must have been on McCreery's mind when he recorded this disc because even Holly Jolly Christmas picks up the tempo significantly. The latter track amps up the fiddle, as much as it emphasizes the electric guitar and piano. McCreery also pleases the great-grandmothers in his audience with reverent takes on First Noel and O Holy Night. Christians will be pleased to hear him sing Mary Did You Know?, a big contemporary favorite in the church.

The best thing about "Christmas with Scotty McCreery" is that he really knows how to have a good time during the holiday season. It's a clean living Christmas, of course, but even nice guys are allowed a little fun each December.