These Are Special Times

11/03/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor

Listen, Christmas music is by nature so lame that's it unworthy of being played the other 11 months of the year. But for that one month when everyone's trying to recreate some ersatz magical time there are the requisite Christmas albums full of seasonal mirth. It's hard to believe it's taken Celine this long. I mean, I expect to wait for A Black Sabbath Christmas, their management not being savvy. But Celine? What's been keeping you?

There are two duets here, "The Prayer" with Andrea Bocelli and "I'm Your Angel" with R. Kelly. I haven't figured out if they're more or less annoying than the stuff she sings by herself. I don't think it really matters. "Blue Christmas" is positively modest compared to junk like "Ave Maria," "Adeste Fidelis" and "Feliz Navidad," which everyone sees as this supercool piece of kitsch. Except me, myLAUNCH's resident Scrooge. I give this album a firm "bah humbug." If you see that Santa guy, let him know I'm looking forward to my lump of coal.