I'll be the first to admit it. I will rock a Christmas album in the spring, summer or fall like a champ, especially if it involves the likes of Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Jennifer Nettles, Martina McBride or Vince Gill.

Fortunately for us this year, all of those artists are together on one Christmas album, and we have multiplatinum, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith to thank for that.

The contemporary Christian artist is gearing up to release his fourth holiday album, Michael W. Smith & Friends: The Spirit of Christmas, on Sept. 30, and it's looking to be pretty epic, thanks to a roster of A-list pals.

Boasting collaborations like "All Is Well" with Underwood, "White Christmas" with Lady A and "Silent Night" with Little Big Town, Smith says, "This is the most unique and unusual record I've ever done in my 31-year career."

The entire album is themed and broken into sections to perfectly guide you through the season. It begins with the start of Christmas and songs reflecting the childlike wonder of that precious time. It then moves on to emphasize family, love and faith and concludes with the birth of Jesus.

In other words, it's everything wonderful, warm, and nostalgic most of us crave during the holiday season. I can't wait. And I don't plan to. I guarantee you, I'll be crankin' some "Christmas Time Is Here" featuring Vince Gill before October arrives.

The all-star lineup also includes Amy Grant, legendary singer Michael McDonald and, yes, Bono of U2.

Smith plans to hit the road later this year with the Spirit of Christmas tour. Fellow Grammy winner Grant will join Smith on the Dallas, Minneapolis and Atlanta dates.