A Very Special Christmas 5 (various artists)
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This came out in 2001, following the fourth album which came out in 1999. (That one was recorded live in 1998, and I have little interest in getting it. Though this one also has a bunch of songs recorded live in 2000.) It's part of a series that benefits the Special Olympics. I think I got the CD in 2022, but didn't listen to it until 2023.

1. "This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe)", by Macy Gray: This is a cover of a song I'm not super familiar with, so I can't tell for sure, but I feel like it has new lyrics mixed in with the original lyrics. (Hence the parenthetical in the title.) Or maybe it just sounds different because I'm not used to hearing Macy Gray's version. In any event, I would say it's not as good as the original, but still not bad.

2. "Little Drummer Boy/Hot Hot Hot", by Wyclef Jean: Now this is obviously a mashup, and not one that would have occurred to me to do in a million years. (But looking at Wikipedia's page for "Hot Hot Hot" I see that the only version with which I'm familiar is itself a cover, so I don't think I've ever heard the original.) In any event, this song goes hard, and it's pretty cool.

3. "Noel! Noel!", by Eve 6: This is a rock/punk version of "The First Noel" interspersed with something original (and very simplistic). I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I guess it's okay.

4. "Blue Christmas", by Jon Bon Jovi: I prefer the Elvis Presley version, but this is serviceable enough.

5. "Merry Christmas Baby", by Stevie Wonder & Wyclef Jean: This has some original, freestyle rap lyrics mixed into it, and it's a fun rendition. Not something I'd ever find as memorable as other versions, but good.

6. "O Come All Ye Faithful", by City High: This mostly confines itself to the original lyrics, and the singing sounds fairly traditional for the most part, but the backing music is pretty funky. I like it.

7. "Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You", by SR-71: I'm not sure what version of this song I'm familiar with or whether I like this version more or less, but it definitely rocks.

8. "Christmas Day", by Dido: I don't think I've ever heard any version of this before, and I'm assuming it's an original song. It's not really Christmassy, but it's not bad.

9. "Run Rudolph Run", by Sheryl Crow: Before I listened to this CD, I thought I had probably heard this version of this song before somewhere else, but when I listened to it here, I became less sure. Anyway, it was okay, but I prefer other versions.

10. "Back Door Santa", by B.B. King & John Popper: This is a funk song that I don't think I've heard before, though I know a different version was originally included on the first "Very Special Christmas", but was later swapped for a different song, which is the copy I have. Anyway... this version sounds good, but I'm not a fan of the lyrics.

11. "Little Red Rooster", by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: I've surely never heard any version of this song before, and it doesn't seem like a Christmas song at all, aside from mentioning the holiday a couple times in passing. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

12. "Christmas Don't Be Late (Chipmunk Song)", by Powder: It's a familiar song of course, except this version sounds kinda grungy. It's probably better than the original, but I prefer the original just because it's more memorable.

13. "Silent Night", by Stevie Nicks: A mostly straightforward rendition of the familiar song, though it's distinctively Stevie Nicks, which is a good thing.

14. "I Love You More", by Stevie Wonder & Kimberly Brewer: More of an all-season love song than a Christmas song, but at least it mentions Christmas stuff sometimes. I pretty sure I've never heard it, but it's not bad. Not something I need to hear again.

15. "White Christmas", by Darlene Love: Of course I'm more familiar with her song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", and I like that one more than this, but this is good, too.

Well, all in all, it's a perfectly serviceable album, but so far it's my least favorite one in the series. I'm definitely glad to have heard it, but it's not something I'd want to listen to very often.