A Country Christmas

by Eugene ChadbourneThere are those who would like to set every Christmas album ever recorded ablaze over a Yuletide fireplace, but let's hope these cheerless arsonists overlook this already well-roasted chestnut of a record. If anyone has the personality to make a good Christmas record, it would be Loretta Lynn. But there are surprise goodies in her gift bag, as she even manages to come up with three great original numbers based on the holiday, the best of the batch being "To Heck With Ole Santa Claus." Her playful side helps her extract nice feelings from too-familiar numbers such as "Silver Bells" and "Frosty the Snowman." And she's such a great vocalist she is able to give both Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby a run for the mistletoe as she takes Christmas from shades of blue to white and back again. Some good country session pickers hold things together whenever she stops for a holiday smooch.