Alanis Morissette is bringing some surprising company home for Christmas. The singer-songwriter has announced her first full-length holiday album, Good Weather for Immaculate Conception, arriving November 6 through Epiphany Music/Virgin Music-and its opening preview brings together Brandi Carlile and Steve Martin on "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem."
Released October 9, the single gives the collaboration a distinctly musical twist: Carlile contributes vocals, while Martin plays banjo. The comedian's appearance puts his instrumental talents at the center of the recording, creating an unexpected meeting of three familiar names around a Christmas song.
Morissette had already stirred curiosity with a playful social media tease. A video showed her placing an Elf on the Shelf doll on a mantel beside a "coming soon" note, while her caption invited followers to "call me MS claus if you want to." The reveal delivered both a new single and the promise of a complete seasonal collection.
Martin is not the only comedy star joining the festivities. Martin Short appears on the closing song, "Merry Christmas," while Joy Oladokun joins Morissette for "Silent Night." Amythyst Kiah features on "Momma Mary," and Trans Voices contributes to "O Tannenbaum," giving the project a guest list that stretches across musical styles and performance backgrounds.
The 14-track album also makes room for two originals, "To an Empath at Christmas Time" and "Christmas on the Dancefloor." Their titles hint at the emotional range of the collection, which places reflective seasonal material alongside opportunities for celebration. Familiar selections include "O Holy Night," "What Child Is This?," and "Ave Maria," together with interpretations of Joni Mitchell's "River," Wham!'s "Last Christmas," and John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)."
The release expands Morissette's recent tradition of sharing holiday recordings into a full album, gathering earlier seasonal performances with new material. For fans, the immediate attraction is the unusual company she has assembled-and the chance to hear how her unmistakable voice connects these Christmas standards, original songs, and collaborations.
"Beautiful Star of Bethlehem," featuring Brandi Carlile and Steve Martin, is available now. Good Weather for Immaculate Conception follows November 6, with album preorders underway.
