As a reality television star with an unabashedly square persona,
Scotty McCreery is an ideal candidate for a Christmas album and
Christmas with Scotty McCreery arrives earlier in his career than may be expected, appearing almost exactly a year after his 2011 debut,
Clear as Day. This may be a tad speedy but a festive collection is a softball pitch up the middle for
McCreery, one that the cornpone singer can hit clear out of the park. And he does, not bothering to reinvent these 11 songs and instead singing the familiar in a friendly manner. The album leans slightly toward secular standards -- "Let It Snow," "Holly Jolly Christmas," "Jingle Bells," "Winter Wonderland" -- but there is an undercurrent of spirituality arriving on "Mary Did You Know?," "Christmas in Heaven," and "First Noel." Nevertheless, this isn't a somber record by any means; it's a seasonal celebration, so familiar it almost follows a certain ritual. There's the cheer balanced by a moment of poignancy to remind us all why we're joyous, finally closing on an up note. In this case, it's
McCreery doing a surprisingly credible approximation of a rocker on "Santa Claus Is Back in Town." He may sully it a bit with an on-the-nose
Elvis Presley impersonation, but that only reinforces how
McCreery is first and foremost a TV star who is eager to please. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine