Holiday music: The season’s best new tracks

‘Underneath the Tree’

Kelly Clarkson

This “bouncy, cooing number” is the best of several original songs that Clarkson co-wrote for Wrapped in Red, her enjoyable first holiday album, said Sarah Rodman in The Boston Globe. The title track, a Phil Spector–style throwback, is a “sparkly treat,” but this one does the sleigh-bell thing just right.

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‘This Christmas‘

Mary J. Blige

Though many R&B singers have recorded Donny Hathaway’s modern classic, Blige still makes it a delight, said Andy Kellman in AllMusic.com. The track is one of the few truly joyous tunes on her first holiday collection, A Mary Christmas, a full-orchestra effort in which Blige “pours herself into all of the material” but falls just short of winning a perennial place on holiday playlists.

‘Away in a Manger’

The Robertsons

Fans of the reality show Duck Dynasty won’t be surprised by the “goofy moments” on Duck the Halls, a new album from the show’s Robertson clan, said Melissa Ruggieri in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The men-folk hit that note hard on the banjo-driven, redneck-celebrating “Hairy Christmas.” More unexpected is the “sweet, rustic quality” of this track—a duet between Sadie Robertson and recording artist Alison Krauss.

‘The Christmas Waltz’

Susan Boyle

“There’s no denying that Susan Boyle is an excellent vocalist,” said Allan RaibleinABCNews.com. To hear that voice used well on her new holiday album, ignore the gimmicky “duets” with Elvis Presley and Johnny Mathis. You want her talent uncut, as in the album’s version of this December classic.