If you think Christmas is too much sentiment and hypocrisy, then John Waters has an album for you. It's a compilation of 12 hard-to-find songs that are funny, raunchy and so full of kitsch that listeners will have a hard time keeping a straight face when this is in the player. Of course, there are some songs like Rudolph and Gang's "Here Comes Fatty Claus," which features a profanity-laced chorus. And there are those manipulative Christmas tales about an orphan who is finally adopted (Roger Christian's "Little Mary Christmas") and a child's prayer to Jesus (Little Cindy's "Happy Birthday Jesus"). But then again, you can't go wrong with the Chipmunks singing "Sleigh Ride" or Tiny Tim doing his take of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Closing the album is the Blaxploitation-like Kwanza soul song "Santa Claus Is a Black Man," by Akim & the Teddy Vann Production Company. — S.I.

JESSE COLIN YOUNG; "Songs for Christmas" (Artemis Records)

Jesse Colin Young's folk/rock approach to music features an "interweaving of Hawaiian slack key guitar and subtle jazz stylizations" for a sound that seems both laid-back and intense. The songs are mostly traditional carols and Santa-songs, including "Away In A Manger," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "O Come All Ye Faithful, "What Child Is This?" and "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer." Young's husky voice adds contrast to the island flavor, making it an intriguing package. — C.W.