Judy Collins - All On A Wintry Night (2000)

Judy Collins studied classical piano as a child before she took up guitar and switched to singing folksongs as a teenager. On her CD of Christmas music, All on a Wintry Night, her stately versions of carols such as "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World" reflect her classical upbringing rather than her days as a Greenwich Village folkie. Even her performances of modern holiday songs such as "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Let It Snow" have a formal feel that recalls her mid-'70s forays into art song. The instrumental accompaniment is spare and the choral backup by the Trinity Boys Choir, the St. Thomas Boys Choir, and the Stephen Hill Singers is designed to subtly frame her lovely voice. Eleven of the 14 songs here originally appeared on her 1994 release, Come Rejoice! The new songs include "The Blizzard," "The Wexford Carol," and "In the Bleak Midwinter," a duet with Tyne Daly. All on a Wintry Night is a sweet collection of musical sugarplums from one of America's most admired singers. --Michael Simmons