It's a wonder that it took ten albums for Backstreet Boys to finally record a holiday affair. With harmonies and vocal control honed by the decades, the quintet's talents have aged like a fine mulled wine, which is apparent on A Very Backstreet Christmas. Delivering faithful takes on the classics, AJ, Nick, Brian, Howie, and Kevin comfort on "The Christmas Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," lean into their pop roots on "Last Christmas," inject some soul into the set with "This Christmas," and show off their a cappella skills on "Winter Wonderland." A trio of originals close the album, with "Christmas in New York" bringing the nostalgic, technicolor magic of old and "Together" and "Happy Days" bridging their soul/R&B and dance-pop sides. Upon release, A Very Backstreet Christmas topped the U.S. Holiday Albums chart and even managed to break into the Top 20 on the main album chart in North America and Europe. ~ Neil Z. Yeung