Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas, Crowder (Capitol/SixSteps/Sparrow)

I had been reluctant to take this on because my understanding was that it was pretty much modern bro-country via the Christian music scene. But we've grappled with the is-it-country question throughout the existence of this website, and this 2022 album does have its charms, starting with the new Thanksgiving anthem "Thanks Giver," a solid ballad for that particular holiday. "I've Heard About You" is a midtempo reason-for-the-season song, "The Ballad Of Mrs. C (She's Sick of the Beard)," is a rock anthem about the jolly elf's wife, and "Christmastime Is Here" is an almost bluesy holiday lament. "Your Praise Goes On" is a more overtly religious ballad, and "The Elf Song" is the keeper from this collection, a solidly tongue-in-cheek rocker about the elves unionizing. Crowder also covers "Go Tell It On the Mountain" in a bluegrass arrangement, performs a seriously rocked-out "White Christmas," does a midnight-mass arrangement of  "Carol of the Bells," and medleys an original song with a classic in "December 26th/Auld Lang Syne." Not totally on our wavelength here, but there are great playlist candidates here, chiefly "The Elf Song."