It's begun: the annual, monster roll-out of albums for Christmas. No, not the Jingle Bells-type (although they're surely on their insanity-inducing way), we're talking about the heavyweight rock stars, powerful pop acts and childrens favourites being rolled out by record labels hungry for a slice of the Christmas market.

Cynics may sniff at the profit-maximising timing, but we figure any month where Kanye, Beyonce, The Killers and Wiley all release brand spanking new albums is a month worth celebrating.

Here are the hottest albums coming your way this Christmas.

20. Lemar: The Reason

Lemar is already climbing the charts fast with the single If She Knew. Currently sitting at No. 14, after a mammoth 47-place jump, the track is a good omen for his fourth album, released on November 24. The few reviewers that have managed a sneak preview indicate that The Reason cements the singer’s place as one Britain’s best R&B artists.

19. Christina Aguilera: Keeps Gettin' Better

The bleached hair, permanently tanned skin and belting ballads might be typically American, but the diva has serious selling power here, having topped the UK album charts with Back To Basics and stacked up four No. 1 singles with breakthrough hit Genie In A Bottle, Moulin Rogue collaboration Lady Marmalade, Dirrty and Beautiful.

Now the one-time Mousketer brings them all together with Keeps Getting’ Better, a collection of the hits she’s racked up in 10 years at the top. Aguilera throws in a sweetener with a new single, also called Keeps Gettin’ Better. Released last week, the album is bound to follow its predecessors up the charts.

18. The Police: Certifiable

They briefly reunited for a world tour and proved that while 20 years may have passed since their heyday, they could still rock. Now the band, headed by Sting, release a DVD and CD combo (two CDs and two DVDs) of the tour. Certifiable contains a recording of the group’s Buenos Aires concert (yes, Message In A Bottle and Every Breath You Take are in there) and footage of the tour. It is released on November 24.

17. Nickelback: Dark Horse

Never a critical favourite, Nickelback have come in for harsh judgements on their new album Dark Horse. Despite employing the skills of producer extraordinaire Mutt Lange, the band’s sixth studio album, released this week, has all but unanimously been written off as a rock cliché. But compare previous album reviews and sales and you’ll soon figure out that the wave of criticism won’t stop fans buying Dark Horse and loving it.

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