NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL CHRISTMAS

One of the advantages to consumers of huge music biz conglomerates is the tremendous music catalogs they amass while swallowing up smaller companies-and thus NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL CHRISTMAS brings us one of the more comprehensive Christmas collections of recent years. With the notable exception of George Michael's "Last Christmas" (Michael sued Sony a while back and is notable by his absence here), this trawl through some 50 years of Christmas pop unearths quite a few gems. Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas," Frank Sinatra's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and Burl Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas," to name but a few, share digital space with the more contemporary stylings of Britney Spears, Boyz II Men, and the Big Yard Family featuring Shaggy. The latter's "All We Need Is Love" is one of the more affecting contributions here. The overall effect is instant nostalgia and a decidedly warm, fuzzy feeling, and you can't ask for more than that in a Christmas compilation.