None the less, despite its connotations of brainless sentimentality and crude commercialism, the Christmas album continues to exert an inexplicable allure for every kind of artist. Perhaps it's all bound up with rheumy-eyed reveries of childhood and Bing Crosby singing White Christmas on the telly, but rockers, crooners, choristers, country singers, jazzers and even rappers have found themselves overcome by the seasonal urge.