I love me some Shelby Lynne (check out Tears, Lies, and Alibis from earlier this year), so I eagerly anticipated receipt of her new Christmas record. I wasn’t disappointed. There’s an effortless quality to her Merry Christmas, a bluesy affair that’s the perfect soundtrack to a cozy winter evening spent in by the fire.

Many of usual seasonal suspects (“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” “Silver Bells,” “Silent Night,” “White Christmas”) pay a stripped-down visit on Merry Christmas, with a few surprises in the mix. Lynne brings the bluegrass with “Christmastime’s A-Coming,” paying homage to her country roots (the singer raised in Mobile, Alabama, with her younger sister, Allison Moorer). She also offers two all-new tunes, “Ain’t Nothin’ Like Christmas” and “Xmas.” The former is brighter than the latter, a remembrance of Christmas past that begins with the line, “Christmas makes me sad / And Daddy’s being bad,” and features Dave Koz on saxophone. The holidays aren’t always merry and bright for everyone.

But it’s Shelby Lynne’s flip side of the Christmas coin that’s wisely been put up for free download. Hear her new contribution of holiday cheer, “Ain’t Nothin’ Like Christmas”:

Take a break from your frantic festivities and spend some quiet, quality holiday time with Shelby Lynne. I heard nary a sleigh bell on Merry Christmas, but you won’t miss a single jingle-jangle. 

Free download of Shelby Lynne – “Ain’t Nothin’ Like Christmas” via Amazon MP3.