Only his fourth studio album, NOEL finds Josh Groban already tackling that canonical mainstay of the adult contemporary singer, the Christmas album. As always, NOEL is a masterfully performed set, balanced neatly between pop standards and the more operatic material that showcases Groban's roots. Interestingly, he sounds best on the most familiar holiday standards, like "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song," both of which he invests with casual, jazzy phrasing, providing a welcome disinclination for the usual Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby homages that many other young singers in the style fall into. Even this early into his career, Groban clearly has a deeply held sense of who he is as a singer and interpreter, and this lovely collection is proof that he's one of the most exciting adult contemporary stars to appear in ages.