In 2020, Carrie Underwood released My Gift, her first —and so far, her only— Christmas album. The 2005 winner of "American Idol," we already knew that few can match Underwood when it comes to interpreting widely-known songs. She's a person of faith, as well, which all but guaranteed that any hymns and religious tunes would come across as sincere. Thus, the title My Gift can be interpreted as meaning she's musically gifted and that she views the birth of Christ as the greatest holiday present of them all.
The album and the extended Deluxe Edition that followed a year later stands up still when compared to other country stars' holiday offerings, putting it in the same conversation as albums by the likes of Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton and even Elvis Presley.
Listeners of My Gift don't merely enjoy timeless songs as they're sung by a generational vocalist. We join Underwood in reflecting on the meaning behind the lyrics —and Christmas itself— while exploring what they say about ourselves and the world we share.
The gold-selling album topped Billboard's country, Christian and Christmas charts. Both "Favorite Time of Year" and John Legend duet "Hallelujah" spent time atop Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart, a peak Underwood previously reached in 2014 with "Something in the Water."
Read on for the album's 10 best songs.
Ray Mickshaw/WireImage An Amazon Music bonus track for My Gift, "Favorite Time of Year" is among the Underwood co-writes on a project filled with standards. While the rest of the project draws comparisons to the works of Celine Dion and other adult contemporary powerhouses, this one's pure pop fun. On an album filled with gospel praise, Underwood pauses to appreciate bundling up on the couch with blankets and watching Hallmark movies. Terry Wyatt/WireImage A bulk of Underwood's faith-based Christmas material consists of "Away in a Manger," "Silent Night" and other predictable —for good reasons— pages from the church hymnal. For the Special Edition expansion of the album, she covered this Michael W. Smith selection from 1989. As Underwood builds toward that final high note, it sounds more than worthy of inclusion. Theo Wargo/Getty Images The lone secular Christmas standard on the Billboard Music Awards' Top Christian Album winner in 2021, Underwood's voice soars above sparse acoustic and orchestral accompaniment. The song sounds as big, bold and cinematic here as it did when Judy Garland taught it to the world in the 1944 musical "Meet Me in St. Louis." Jo Hale/Redferns What amounts to a Christmas lullaby that's often sung to and by children sounds no less like the soundtrack to a nightcap by the fireplace here, even if Underwood's powerful, high-volume delivery is far from sleep-inducing. Michael Tran/FilmMagic, Speaking of singing children, Underwood's then-5-year-old son Isaiah takes a few verses ("pa wum pa pum pum") on this triumphant revision of "Little Drummer Boy." "When I first heard it back I was laughing and crying at the same time because it was just this beautiful, pure moment from him," Underwood told People about the duet. "He did such a great job. He remembered the lyrics, and he sang it with his whole heart." Max Another somber number, this piano-based rendition makes Underwood sound like a soloist in a Christmas cantata at church. It displays a level of vocal control that's only gotten better since Carrie Underwood's winning run —singing pun intended— on "American Idol." Kevin Winter/ACM2009/Getty Images for ACM This one's worth highlighting because Underwood and her in-studio support staff reshaped it to fit the project. "I didn't think I would find a version I liked of 'Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee' because so many are so march-y," Underwood told Music Row. "I was like, 'How can we get away from that?' And [producer Greg Wells] had the idea of me singing a cappella. I tried it and it ended up being so unique and it had a certain feeling about it that made me really happy, and that's why we put it first on the album." Jason Davis/Getty Images for CMT For this original, Underwood detoured from choir solos to heavy-hitting pop music in the spirit of one of her heroes, George Michael. Maybe it's just the piano parts, but something about this soul-pop stunner screams "Faith"— the Michael song, though this does no less than others in expressing Underwood's spiritual beliefs. KMazur/WireImage for Sony BMG Music Entertainment This one's a Legend co-write with his regular collaborator Toby Gad, not a Leonard Cohen tribute. It suited the religious theme and overall tone of Underwood's first Christmas album. "I was deep into making the album, and this one kind of came in. He sent it to us kind of at the end," Underwood said at the time. "It was like, 'Well, I love the song. I feel like this is a puzzle piece I didn't know was missing, but now that I've heard it, I have to have it.' And so we just put the ask back, 'Thank you for sending, do you want to sing a part with me, too?'." Underwood and Legend recorded what became the album's lead single via Zoom. Ed Rode/Getty Images Matters of music and faith are subjective, but there's got to be a compelling argument that "O Holy Night's" the greatest Christmas hymn. At the very least, it's surely the toughest to sing. Underwood was up to the task, using Celine Dion's powerful rendition as her guide."Favorite Time of Year"
"All is Well"
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"Away in a Manger"
"Little Drummer Boy" (Feat. Isaiah Fisher)
"Silent Night"
"Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"
"Let There Be Peace"
"Hallelujah" (Feat. John Legend)
"O Holy Night"
