O Come All Ye Faithful, Hiss Golden Messenger (Merge)

This North Carolina folk-rock band has been a steady presence on Americana radio over the past several years, and for 2021 they bring their sound to the Christmas season with this album. Band leader M.C. Taylor issued a press release stating he wanted to avoid the big brash sounds associated with the holiday in favor of something more contemplative, and that, in fact, is what we have here. Three originals, the moody "Hung Fire," the bouncy "Grace" and the country polka "By the Lights of St. Stephen" are nice new additions to the canon, and classic carols "Silent Night," "Joy to the World" and the title song are all in the contemplative mode discussed earlier. The collection is rounded out with some covers from farther afield, Spiritualized's "Shine a Light," Woody Guthrie's "Hanukkah Dance," and the Creedence Clearwater classic "As Long as I Can See the Light." Nothing much in the way of upbeat music here, but you'll find plenty of solid pace-changers for your holiday playlists.