"One Wish -- The Holiday Album," Whitney Houston (Arista)


Houston's career is in limbo: Her 2002 album "Just Whitney" bombed, and she has made virtually no public appearances since admitting to drug use in a television interview a year ago. This album won't catapult her back to the front of the pop-diva pack, but it's a decent start, with performances of holiday classics and one new song (the title track) that will remind listeners of her voice's enormous power. Highlights include an "I'll Be Home For Christmas" that's full of steely determination rather than the yearning most singers convey, and a medley that pairs a jaunty "Deck the Halls" with "Silent Night." The biggest misstep is a bombastic "Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night)." "Who Would Imagine a King" and a fervent gospel take on "Joy to the World" (featuring the Georgia Mass Choir) are recycled from the soundtrack to Houston's 1996 movie, "The Preacher's Wife."

-- Jay Lustig