Wrapped in red

"Generally, the 14 songs here emphasize Clarkson's skills as a full-throated diva - the arrangements are bold and brassy, as is her delivery - but when the tempo slows and the arrangements scale back, she's perhaps even more alluring, turning "Blue Christmas" into a sweet fireside crawl and effortlessly overshadowing the overmatched Ronnie Dunn on "Baby It's Cold Outside."".

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"A torchy, piano-only "White Christmas", an urgent "My Favorite Things", and a Patsy Cline-homage "Silent Night" finish the set. Clarkson's right at home on the first two; she's as assured as ever, sophisticated and tender, even if her last-verse stratospheric belting continues to test your tolerance. "Silent Night" adds Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire into the mix, and while it's nice to hear the accents fly and the emoting kept under control, they don't distinguish themselves from the 18,000 pop versions of "Silent Night" already in the world".

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