Ultimate Soul Christmas (2004)

About this title: Given the myriad compilations of Christmas music that have been released over the decades, you'd think it'd be easy to pick a winner. Not so, not so at all. There are just so many collections out there -- and so many that are downright shoddy ripoffs. For every beginning-to-end wonderful Christmas collection like Motown Christmas or A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, there are a hundred -- if not several hundred -- thrown-together budget ones that are anything but wonderful. Ultimate Soul Christmas comes awfully close to being just another thrown-together one, with its ... read more

Tracks:

1. This Is Christmas [Vandross/Vertelney]
2. White Christmas [Berlin]
3. This Christmas [McKinnor/Hathaway]
4. The Christmas Song [Torme/Wells]
5. With My Honey [En Vogue/Foster/McE]
6. Feels Like Christmas [Traditional]
7. The Gift of Giving [Withers]
8. Dear Santa Claus [Cowling/Payne/Womac]
9. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! [Styne/Cahn]
10. Black Christmas [Staples]
11. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear [Traditional]
12. Carol of the Bells [Traditional]
13. Merry Christmas Baby [Baxter/Moore]
14. I'll Be Home for Christmas [Kent/Gannon]
15. You Were There [Babyface]
16. Cold December Nights [McCary/Stockman]
17. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town [Coots/Gillespie]
18. Do You Hear What I Hear? [Shayne/Regney]
19. The Mistletoe and Me [Hayes]
20. Snowy Nights [En Vogue/Foster/McE]
21. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas [Martin/Blane]
22. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? [Loesser]
23. Please Come Home for Christmas [Brown/Redd]
24. Silver Bells [Livingston/Evans]
25. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [Traditional]
26. My Gift to You [Harris III/Lewis]
27. Christmas in My Heart [Staton]
28. O Holy Night [Dwight/Adam]
29. That's What I Want for Christmas [Lawrence]
30. Silent Night [Gruber/Mohr]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.