Track Listing

1. Christmas Time
2. This Year
3. Have Yourself a Merry Merry Christmas
4. Angels We Have Heard on High
5. Merry Christmas, Baby
6. O Holy Night
7. These Are The Special Times
8. This Christmas
9. XTINA'S Song
10. The Christmas Song (Holiday Remix)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9302 in Music
• Released on: 2000-10-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

Amazon.com
Like Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera never met a melissmatic phrase (that gospel-like elongation of syllables) that she couldn't love. And she deploys more than her share throughout this 11-song holiday disc. Her excessive style is best-suited to "Merry Christmas, Baby"--complete with a surprise cameo by Dr. John. When she isn't blowing out her chords with embarrassing emoting, at times, Aguilera sounds like she's shouting. Still, you know that if you don't get this for your teenaged fan, it's you who will get that lump of coal in your stocking. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
When I first saw this album in the store, I was very excited to hear what Christina could do with these Christmas works. I am a classical singer, and Christina is one of the few pop singers I can stand because I think her talent and musicicality are very impressive. Upon finally listening to the album, I became very frustrated. She has a beautiful voice and I found myself shouting at the speakers, "stop that!" She would never hold a note out past a beat and a half in the beautiful "Oh Holy Night." Instead she had to improvise runs for every single note. She never paid any attention to line or the beauty of the actual written music. She just tore through it without really singing the songs. For me, this was very disappointing and frustrating from a singer, who I feel, is better. If you're looking for a Christmas album of beauty and enjoyment of holiday music, I suggest Barbra Streisand's classic one and Jewel's collection. Very artistic, moving and beautiful.

Doesn't really sound like a CHRISTMAS album
Much as I really adore Christina Aguilera's startling vocal abilities, I have to comment that this christmas album of hers doesn't cut it as one to instil holiday spirit.

Her voice, indeed, is greater than ever. She sings with better control and more elaborate stylisations - but at times she overdoes it, gorging an entire track with the maximum amount of her vocal callisthenics possible. Jazz appears to be Aguilera's best platform for displaying that talent of hers to best effect - hear "Merry Xmas Baby".

However, amid the impressive melismatic curls, where is the tenderness in her music, voice? The uptempo tracks are best guilty of the latter flaw - Arresting in the audio makeup, but nevertheless overproduced and devoid of the simplicity best rendered in christmas songs. (Track 11, "Christina's Xmas", a meaningless, hip hop interlude that does no good to the album at all.)

This 11-track album will be remembered for the vocal showmanship, but for the holiday spirit, there are better CDs out there.

Christina Calm Down!
The most gifted singer to come along in a long time is obviously Christina Aguilera. She ahs proven she can sing anything with that powerful belt. On her Christmas CD she chooses christmas favorites and a few original songs. Her rendition of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas will blow everyone away. Other highlight include The Christmas Song and This Christmas. One thing she needs to do is calm down a bit. Her version of O Holy Night is a vocal rollercoaster which easily could have been the highlight of this album, but she feels the need to prove that she really can sing. She already has and I'm sure alot of people would agree with me when I say she should just hit the high note and hold it, that would send shivers up and down my spine. To me it is not appropriate to do vocal acrobatics on standard Christmas songs, but she has an amazing voice and she sings her heart out. I just wish she would calm down.