First Christmas Morning

Dan Fogelberg's first Christmas album is a smartly informed collection of familiar holiday hymns, carols, and deliciously original music inspired by the Renaissance period. The standard interpretations such as "I Saw Three Ships" and "O Tannenbaum" prove satisfying and enjoyable. "At Christmas Time," a Fogelberg original, sounds as if it were lifted from Dickens's A Christmas Carol, while the peaceful and bright "Winterskol" and other simple guitar pieces make The First Christmas Morning a truly great holiday find. Extra points to Fogelberg for unearthing such beautiful music as the 15th-century carol "This Endris Night." Recommended. --Martin Keller