A Mary Christmas, Mary J Blige (Verve)

One of the biggest R'nB divas of the 90s and 00s finally gets on the Christmas tip for 2013. If you're a Mary fan, you'll be right on top of this. The rest of us will weigh whether we really want yet another modern R'nB Christmas album, as there are absolutely no surprises; it's mostly slow-tempo orchestral balladry showcasing her still-superior voice, which is what the general market expects. Like many R'nB albums, she covers Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas," one of the few uptempo highlights here, and makes a ballad out of "My Favorite Things." She goes for the Francophone market with "Petit Papa Noel" and does the same for the Univision audience with "Noche De Paz (Silent Night)," with some help from Marc Anthony. Guests step in for other tunes as well, including Chris Botti and Barbara Streisand on "When You Wish Upon a Star," Jessie J on "Do You Hear What I Hear," and the Clark Sisters on "The First Noel." Mary also sings "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts)," an uptempo jazz orchestra take on "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," the album opener "Little Drummer Boy" and a straight ballad take on "Mary, Did You Know." A well-made album that will satisfy casual listeners, though not much fun for Mistletunes readers.