It's Beginning To Sound A Lot Like Christmas Past

By Harriet Barovick, Val Castronovo, Matthew Cooper, Mitch Frank, Daniel Levy, Michele Orecklin, Alice Park, Desa Philadelphia, Hope Reeves and Owen Thomas

Had enough of Bing Crosby's crooning? Handel's Messiah not your cup of nog? This holiday season, in what has become a perennial tradition, a host of popular artists (think 'N Sync and 98 Degrees) has reroasted the standard Christmas chestnuts. We sampled a few of the more palatable:

ARTIST/ALBUM JEWEL Joy: A Holiday Collection

STYLE Plaintive pop starlet with seasonal affective disorder

HOW'S WINTER WONDERLAND? Fine, except for the yodeling

BEST TRACK Face of Love

SKIP The a capella Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

SURPRISE FACTOR Even singing holiday songs, she sounds forlorn JINGLE BELL ROCK RATING (OUT OF 5) [2 1/2 ornaments]

[ARTIST/ALBUM] GARTH BROOKS Garth Brooks & the Magic of Christmas

[STYLE] Chris Gaines meets Kris Kringle

[HOW'S WINTER WONDERLAND?] By the book

[BEST TRACK] Baby Jesus Is Born

[SKIP] A sleep-inducing Silver Bells

[SURPRISE FACTOR] He crosses over into yet another genre

[JINGLE BELL ROCK RATING (OUT OF 5)] [3 ornaments]

[ARTIST/ALBUM] RINGO STARR I Wanna Be Santa Claus

[STYLE] Yellow Submarine with jingle bells

[HOW'S WINTER WONDERLAND?] He's not known for his singing

[BEST TRACK] Christmas Eve

[SKIP] A frighteningly militaristic Little Drummer Boy

[SURPRISE FACTOR] Ringo Starr did a Christmas CD

[JINGLE BELL ROCK RATING (OUT OF 5)] [1 ornament]

[ARTIST/ALBUM] ROSIE O'DONNELL and friends: A Rosie Christmas

[STYLE] Like a Bob Hope special

[HOW'S WINTER WONDERLAND?] A Donny Osmond duet--enough said

[BEST TRACK] Lauryn Hill on Little Drummer Boy

[SKIP] The duet with Elmo on Do You Hear What I Hear?

[SURPRISE FACTOR] How irritating Elmo can be

[JINGLE BELL ROCK RATING (OUT OF 5)] [4 ornaments]