Fans almost never expect holiday albums to represent the very best of their favorite artist's work; however,
Christmas with Willie Nelson may very well be his worst album ever. Muddy guitars, strangely tilting string arrangements, and bungled notes are featured on over half of the songs, and
Nelson alternatively stumbles over vocals and chops through them, ruining the lingering quality that is one of the best features of his voice. The slower ballads are more successful than more joyous ones like "Deck the Halls," where
Nelson causes the listener to recoil as he belts out "tra, la la, la la, la la, la, la" rapid-fire and way off-key. One of the charming things about
Willie Nelson is his rough edges, but the outright blunders on this album and the cheap, syrupy overproduction will keep even the most devout among his fans from appreciating this music.