Audio Mixer: Al Schmitt.

Photographer: Timothy Wise.

With THIS CHRISTMAS, Aretha Franklin delivered what was, amazingly, the first Holiday CD of her stellar, decades-long career. Producer Tena Clark wisely keeps it simple, framing the queen of soul's heaven-sent voice with velvety, sparsely adorned retro-style R&B. The album includes a mix of time-worn chestnuts given typically sensitive, understated readings ("Silent Night," "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing") and impassioned takes on lesser-known songs such as the funky, gospel-infused "Christmas Just Ain't Christmas" and the smooth-as-silk title track.