Garth Brooks&the Magic of Christmas (1999)

The portentous cover of ''Garth Brooks & the Magic of Christmas'' (Capitol Nashville) has the artist formerly known as Gaines holding out a crystal ball, perhaps believing that a holiday mix of Christianity and occultism is the way to win back country's core audience. If only the album itself were so nutty. With this dull ''Magic'' set, Brooks moves from the Western swing of 1993's ''Beyond the Season'' to ersatz '40s swing, adopting a quasi-big-band style so impersonal he could be any of a million Andy Williams wannabes. C-