My Kind of Holiday, Elliot Yamin (Three Ring Project)

This disc marks a brief truce between me and former "American Idol" performers. Originally a Target special with eight songs for 2007, the 2008 re-release added two more songs. The performances are quite good in a blue-eyed soul vein. Yamin's an excellent singer, though he's way too influenced by Stevie Wonder -- gotta find an original voice, son. That said, strong outings are a shuffling "Jingle Bells" not too dissimilar to Lisa Loeb's arrangement, a faithful "This Christmas," a slow-jams take on the Mel Torme "Christmas Song," and the uptempo original "A Very Merry Xmas." The other songs are good enough to carry a listener through to the end.