Christina plies pipes in 'Peg studio

WINNIPEG -- Christina Aguilera may have let her genie out of its bottle at the Winnipeg Arena last night but the night before her rambunctious show the teen-pop diva uncorked a little magic at a Winnipeg recording studio.

 For seven hours Wednesday evening, the 19-year-old singer worked on vocals for her upcoming Christmas album at Channels Audio & Post-production on Sargent Avenue.

 Aguilera has been working on the project -- which should hit music stores worldwide this fall -- as she travels the country with her five-act musical extravaganza.

 Noting the singer had an off-day in Winnipeg, Augilera's handlers contacted Chris Burke-Gaffney -- manager of local duo McMaster & James, who were also on the bill last night -- and asked him to recommend a Winnipeg studio.

 "Because of the McMaster & James connection and me being a Winnipeg guy, they figured I would know a few places," Burke-Gaffney said.

 Channels owner Shirley Schritt says the singer arrived about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

 "The work order says she was in the room from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.," Schritt said yesterday. "That's a lot for a singer."

 Local producer and engineer Howard Rissin was hired as assistant engineer for the day, working with producer Ron Fair of RCA, one of the talent scouts who first signed Aguilera.

 "It was pretty cool," Rissin said. "She showed up with her whole entourage -- including a security guy, a personal assistant and a massage therapist -- and then she just sang her ass off till one in the morning."

 Rissin says the evening session consisted of work on an original song called This Year.

 "She was just singing vocal parts over and over and over, layering and layering and layering them. The way they do vocals is pretty labourious, but she worked very hard."

 Rissin has recorded with many of the big names in the music business -- including a memorable session with k.d. lang and Roy Orbison on Crying -- but he says Aguilera sprang a new one on him.

 "I have to admit, I've never seen anyone with a personal masseuse before, and they had limos on the street all night, waiting to take people wherever they wanted to go."

 The engineer says he didn't interact much with the singer.

 "She was pretty focused on the work. We even decorated the studio for Christmas so she could be in the mood to sing a seasonal song," Rissin said. "I did manage to get an autograph for my son, though."

 So, was Rissin squired home in a limousine when the day was done?

 "Uh, no," he laughs. "I stayed behind, made a safe copy of the master tape and then went home in my Honda."

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