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New R&B Christmas Albums for 2008

Happy Holidays

From , former About.com Guide

If you're the type who's always looking for new Christmas music every time the holiday season rolls around, then this is for you. This list gives you all the info on the most noteworthy Christmas albums released by R&B and Soul artists in 2008. So if you've been wondering if that Brian McKnight version of "Silver Bells" you heard on the radio is new, or who that new, upbeat song "Be There for Christmas" is by, you're in luck. The answers to these questions and more - including how/where to buy the albums - are below. Have a look. And Happy Holidays.

I'll Be Home for Christmas, Brian McKnight

B. McKnight's newest holiday album - he's made more than one - came out Oct. 7.

Tracklisting:
1. The Christmas Song
2. Silver Bells
3. Let It Snow (feat. Brian McKnight Jr. & Nikolas McKnight)
4. Christmas You and Me (feat. Vince Gill)
5. I'll Be Home For Christmas
6. Silent Night (feat. Noel Schajris)
7. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
8. Adeste Fideles
9. Who Would Have Thought
10 Angels We Have Heard On High (feat. Josh Groban)
11 Christmas Medley
12 Bless This House (feat. Take 6)

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This Christmas, Aretha, Aretha Franklin

Believe it not, throughout her 50-plus year career, Miss Aretha had never released a Christmas album until now. But now that she's finally gone and done it, it's only available at three places: Border Books, borders.com and Waldenbooks. (If you're in the U.S. you can also order it as an import from amazon.com.)

Tracklisting:
1. Angels We Have Heard On High
2. This Christmas
3. My Grown Up Christmas List
4. The Lord Will Make A Way
5. Silent Night
6. Ave Maria
7. Christmas Ain't Christmas (Without The One You Love)
8. 14 Angels
9. One Night With The King
10 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
11 'Twas The Night Before Christmas

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The Ultimate Gift, Rahsaan Patterson

Rahsaan's first holiday album dropped back in August.

Tracklisting:
1. Holiday
2. What Christmas Means To Me
3. This is the Season
4. Peace and Joy
5. That First Christmas
6. Angels (Sing)
7. Little Drummer Boy
8. Christmas At My House
9. Wonderful Christmastime
10 The Ultimate Gift
11 Angels [Reprise]

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It's Christmas, Ledisi

The first holiday album by this jazz-R&B singer features traditional Christmas tunes plus a few new ones. It came out Sept. 23 via the Verve label.

Tracklisting:
1. I'll Go
2. Children Go Where I Send Thee
3. Give Love on Christmas Day
4. Be There for Christmas*
5. This Christmas (Could be the One)*
6. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
7. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
8. It's Christmas*
9. What a Wonderful World
10 Please Come Home for Christmas
11 Silent Night
12 Thank You*

(* = Original Tracks)

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A Coko Christmas, Coko

You all remember ex-SWV member Coko, right? Right? Well, she dropped a holiday album back in October that features her solo versions of SWV Christmas songs, plus a few of her own previously-released solo holiday songs.

Tracklisting:
1. We Thank You
2. Give Love On Christmas Day
3. Grateful
4. This Christmas
5. Holy
6. Silent Night
7. The Greatest
8. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
9. O Holy Night

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A Royal Christmas, Paris Bennett

The second release from Paris - aka Princess P- who's a former "American Idol" hopeful, came out Oct. 14 via CC Records.

Tracklisting:
1. It's Christmas Time*
2. 12 Days of Christmas
3. Away in a Manger
4. Deck the Halls
5. God Rest Ye Merry
6. Holiday Shuffle*
7. Li'l Drummer Boy
8. Not Alone This Christmas*
9. Silent Night
10 Auld Lang Syne

(* = original song.)

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It's Christmas, Mandisa

Mandisa's Gospel-centric It's Christmas, produced by Brown Bannister (Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp), is a balance between traditional Christmas carols and newer songs.

Tracklisting:
1. What Christmas Means to Me
2. Christmas Makes Me Cry (feat. Matthew West)
3. O Holy Night
4. Christmas Day (feat. Michael W. Smith)
5. Feliz Navidad/Joy To the World medley
6. Little Drummer Boy
7. Silent Night
8. Children Go Where I Send Thee
9. The "Bell Medley" (Silver Bells, Carol of the Bells and Caroling, Caroling)
10 Mary's Little Boy Child

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Christmas with the Whispers, The Whispers (DVD)

This DVD was taped in high-definition video at an old folks home - uh, I mean on stage - in Los Angeles. It features the Whispers' renditions of various holiday classics, plus behind-the-scenes interviews with the singers and fans.

Tracklisting:
1. White Christmas
2. Santa Claus is Coming
3. My Favorite Things
4. This Time of the Year
5. The Christmas Song
6. This Christmas
7. Funky Christmas
8. Merry Christmas Baby
9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
10 Happy Holidays
11 I Sing this Song for You

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