Christina Aguilera

MY KIND OF CHRISTMAS

(RCA)

Pop's cutest little snowflake must have figured, it has been six years since Mariah squeezed into a Santa suit for that Christmas album with the one great Beach Boys-sounding original on it, so why not? And how 'bout bringing Dr. John and Billy Preston along for the ride? Okay, as long as you don't hurt yourself, Christina. The teen genie unleashes her dazzling technique on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Angels We Have Heard on High," and "O Holy Night," the only Mariah cover. (Fall on your knees at your own risk, Chris -- I see Fred Durst coming around the corner.) She doesn't fare so well on the thumpin' R&B originals or the Diane Warren ballad (which isn't even a Christmas song!). And the blues-based Dr. John duet "Merry Christmas, Baby," her latest Etta James tribute, sounds awfully musty for a teenager. It's not until the last two tunes, when she finally cools it on the mike and lets her producers take over, that she stumbles across some decent kids' Christmas music. "Xtina's Xmas" is a bubbly instrumental for voice and beats that leads into a frosty house workout of "The Christmas Song," which sends the chestnuts dancing merrily into the night.

-- Sean Richardson