The season of 'Jingle Bells and Ringing Tills' are upon us and with it will come the usual flood of 'Best Of?.' and 'Greatest Hits', all of them just re-issues of old songs by the same artists ? dollied up in a new wrapping with the hope that the sentimental season will bring in some extra sales.

One of the first of this ilk to hit the music stores is 'The Ultimate Collection' (why, I don't know!) by Katherine Jenkins.

The 17 song selection is as predictable as most of her albums ? the usual dosage of Lloyd Webber ('Don't Cry For Me Argentina', 'Music Of The Night' and 'Pie Jesu') and a number of other over-played and past-sell-by-dates such as 'Time To Say Goodbye', 'Hallelujah' and 'I Could Have Danced all Night'.

For me the three best numbers on this album are the poignant 'I've Dreamed Of You', 'The Flower Duet' (which she does with Kiri Te Kanawa) and the strange, wordless 'Hymn To The Fallen'.

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for her music, even though her voice can be a tad stilted, piercing and programmed at times. All her singing is of the same mould, predictable, clear, usually church-like and easy to listen to but sleep-inducing if taken in large doses.

'The Ultimate Collection' is true to form, both in style and the rather pretentious mix of English, French, Italian and Welsh numbers.

But it is a formula which is hugely successful and has made her one of the world's most popular and biggest-selling female artists.