A Wild-Eyed Christmas Night, 38 Special (Sanctuary)

Having taken a quick taste of Christmas cheer by throwing a cut onto 2000's Lynyrd Skynyrd Christmas album, fellow Southern rockers 38 Special chug the whole bottle for 2001 with their own holiday album. You don't really have to go any farther than the title cut to know what you're up against; good ol' boy rock circa the 1970s. They do a pretty good job with evergreens like "Jingle Bell Rock," "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Santa Claus is Back in Town." But like Skynyrd, they feel a need to serious things up with sedate versions of "O Holy Night" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Good quality stuff, maybe even better than the Skynyrd album, although they recycle "Hallelujah! It's Christmas" from that album. The album's since been repackaged as a 20th Century Masters collection, but it's the same group of songs. UPDATE: There was a budget CD that combines cuts from the Skynyrd and 38 Special CDs, but it's out of print.