Santa Clause 2
Balancing real life with good old-fashioned Saint Nick magic is a challenge  for Tim Allen's jolly elf in the spiritedSanta Clause 2--a dichotomy that the  mix of vintage and contemporary holiday confections on its soundtrack also  tackles.Brian Setzerstruts through a rockabilly take on "Jingle Bells,"  whileHilary Duff(a.k.a. Lizzie McGuire) bounces down "Santa Claus Lane" with sugar-dusted pop effervescence andShedaisyplayfully modernize Kris Kringle on the boogie-woogie honky-tonk "Santa's Got a Brand New Bag." On  the legend tip, theShirelles' soul slow dance "Blue Holiday,"Chuck  Berry's bluesy rock classic "Run Rudolph Run," andLouis Armstrong's  flavorful scat-jazz "Zat You Santa Claus" conjure picturesque, snow-covered  holiday scenes of yore.Unwritten LawandSum 41's particularly joyless  rock/faux-rap collaboration aside,Santa Clause 2is as frothy and  lighthearted as a tall glass of eggnog--in other words, just as fun as a  holiday-themed record should be.--Annie Zaleski