A Very Special Christmas

Track Listings

1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Pointer Sisters

2. Winter Wonderland - Eurythmics

3. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Whitney Houston

4. Merry Christmas Baby - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas -The Pretenders

6. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - John Cougar Mellencamp

7. Gabriel's Message - Sting

8. Christmas In Hollis - Run-D.M.C.

9. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2

10. Santa Baby - Madonna

11. The Little Drummer Boy - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

12. Run Rudolph Run - Bryan Adams

13. I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas-Bon Jovi

14. The Coventry Carol - Alison Moyet

15. Silent Night - Stevie Nicks

When was the last time you heard collard greens being sung about in a Christmas song? Probably never, unless you're a Run DMC fan, or were wise enough to hop on the Very Special Christmas tip. The rappers' contribution to this benefit collection is probably the highlight, although traditional songs covered by now-traditional artists like the Pretenders ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas") provide the majority of the material here. Eurythmics turn in a suitably chilly "Winter Wonderland," Stevie Nicks sings a beautifully haunting "Silent Night," and Whitney Houston proves again that she's every woman with "Do You Hear What I Hear"--that is, every woman with a voice strong enough to do the song justice. "Santa Baby," Madonna's contribution, isn't as sultry as it could be, but there's more fun thanks to hell-on-heels, the Pointer Sisters and Bon Jovi. --Steve Gdula