Christmas Together is the second holiday album from both Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, but it's the first the wedded couple has made together. It's a swift affair, with 11 songs clocking in at 28 minutes, its brevity suggesting it may not have been made with much care, but its casualness is also its charm. Neither Brooks nor Yearwood -- who duet on several songs, then have their own showcases -- toss away their performances, but the album does feel like it was recorded swiftly, as if the couple knocked off these tunes in a couple of afternoons. In the case of Brooks, this means he relies on humor, joshing his way through "Ugly Christmas Sweater" and mincing around on the duets "Marshmallow World" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside," but Yearwood casually pulls off a stunner on a smoldering "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" These two approaches illustrate the gulf in skill between the two singers, yet
Christmas Together also shows that they're nicely matched: there's real chemistry between this husband and wife, who generate so much good cheer that
Christmas Together winds up as a chipper soundtrack to all manner of holiday parties.
