Mary Margaret O'Hara: Christmas EP

It's far from a monumental recording—how many Christmas albums are—but this four-song, limited-edition set is endearingly arranged and pleasantly performed. Mary Margaret O'Hara performs each of these tracks with a subtly soaring, slightly countrified voice that blows away the treacly schmaltz pooped out by contemporary country crooners. Though she starts with fairly standard covers of very standard classics ("Silent Night," "Blue Christmas"), "What Are You Doing New Years Eve" has a marvelously torchy jazz feel—and her own "Christmas Evermore" closes out the short set with unconventional time signatures and a fine vocal performance. There's not an awful lot to it, but this is one of the year's most worthwhile left-field holiday recordings.