A Very Special Acoustic Christmas

By Andrew Ross

There are two warnings which have to be given about A Very Special Acoustic Christmas. First, this album is actually a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, so you have to buy it regardless of what I write about it, or you are a bad person.


Second, with the exception of a single track by Norah Jones, “acoustic” means “country music.”


In fairness, this is a real country music Christmas album, not just Nashville pop. It sounds a bit like the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack in places, probably because it features some of the same artists.


There are the obligatory old standards like “Frosty the Snowman,” “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” and the rest, but the disc’s crowning moment is the last track, Norah Jones’ “Peace.”


It has not been annually drummed into your psyche from infancy and it actually feels like Christmas without using any “Christmas” words like holly, jolly, reindeer or mistletoe.


And if Norah Jones is reading this, look me up anytime you’re in the area.