Christmas collection

Christmas CDs are like tree ornaments – no matter how many you have, there’s always the urge to add another one to the collection. This year, music makers are happily filling the bill with sonic treats fresh and familiar, jazzy and jamming, soul-strutting and metal-wielding.

Soul sensations

““Miss Patti’s Christmas” (Island/Def Jam): Here’s the season’s most perfect example of an artist bringing herself to the holiday party, not just phoning in an appearance. Patti LaBelle pairs up with producers/writers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for a set that emphasizes fresh R&B/pop tunes like “Christmas Jam” and “What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas” done up in vibrant LaBelle style. (Grade: A)

““Slow Jams for Christmas” (Capitol): Serious collectors of holiday albums have a lot of these tracks on the individual artists’ own holiday sets, but it’s nice to have the creme-de-la-creme in one place. Faith Evans really gets her sultry hooks into “Santa Baby,” while Bebe and CeCe Winans polish “Silver Bells” to a marvelous sheen.

Other participants include Boyz II Men, The O’Jays, Al Green, Babyface, Dianne Reeves, Vanessa Williams, Nancy Wilson and a pair of voices of yore: Marvin Gaye (“I Want to Come Home For Christmas”) and Luther Vandross (“Please Come Home For Christmas”) . (B-plus)

“For a joyous dose of the gospel truth, re-visit The Staple Singers’ “The 25th Day of December” (Riverside), newly restored for CD. The set was first released in 1962, when songs like “No Room at the Inn” and “Wasn’t That A Mighty Day” rang with racial protest as well as spiritual overtones. (A-minus)

In-store specials

“Barry Manilow is this year’s star attraction at Hallmark card stores, serving up “In the Swing of Christmas” (Hallmark). He warms up even the stalest of chestnuts like “The Christmas Song” and “Carol of the Bells/Jingle Bells” with breezy, jumping, jazz-flecked vocal and piano-centric backing trio arrangements in the Tony Bennett bag. (B)

“Target, meanwhile, is keeping the price of musical ornaments low with two interesting EPs by fresh-faced female talents, each boasting six tracks and an affordable $6.99 tag.

On “Have Yourself a Very KT Christmas” (Sound of the Season/EMI) K.T. Tunstall applies her folk-rocking ways to the haunting “2000 Miles” (originally done by Chrissie Hynde with the Pretenders) and gets all drum and bassy on us with a rethink of “Sleigh Ride.” She also turns in a most charming version of “Fairytale of New York” – a gem in the rough done originally by the late Kirsty MacColl with The Pogues. (B-plus)

Also on Target is “The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection” (Sounds of the Season/NBC-Universal). I’ve not been all that interested in this fiddle and pedal steel-favoring country lass in the past, but there’s no mistaking the high gloss of the two original gifts she’s bringing to the party – the lonely at the season “Christmases When You Were Mine” and get-your-values-straight “Christmas Must Be Something More.” And yes, she sure looks purty on the cover in that shimmering green party dress. (B)

More country

“The ever-tasteful Pam Tillis serves up a subtle, acoustic-instruments-flavored, countrypolitan set “Just in Time For Christmas” (Stellar Cat) that fans of Norah Jones will find appealing. Tillis’ new finds – the gorgeous “Beautiful Night” and fresh, but old-timey-sounding “Light of the World” – are especially to-die-for. (B-plus)

“If you like a lavish helping of Nashville strings, brass and woodwinds topping your holiday music pudding, go for contemporary country belter Martina McBride’s “White Christmas” (RCA/BMG). Among the four new songs on this re-issue of the 1998 original, McBride brings back Dean Martin (yeah, from the great beyond) to sing with her on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Freaky, but it works. (B)

Rocking and strange

“Do you instantly think “Christmas” when you hear the pealing of jingle bells and xylophones? That’s the theory of three new “Holiday Tribute” albums (Christmas Rock Records) that feature songs by Metallica, AC/DC and Green Day done in tamed-down, jingle-jangle-all-the-way instrumental form. (B-minus)

“Sister Hazel’s rootsy “Santa’s Playlist” (Rock Ridge) covers lots of ground well, from the horn-jamming “Merry Christmas Baby” to a reggae-flavored “White Christmas” and a bluegrass-tinged “Dreidel Song.” (B)

“If you wish the Beatles and Beach Boys were still around making sunny, harmonious rock for the holidays, you’ll feel their spirit (and tunes) still beating strong in “Christmas with The Smithereens” (Koch), from the New Jersey band of the same name. (B-plus)

“At another extreme, all hell’s breaking loose on “The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride” (Rock Ridge Music) as the cynical screamcore band Psychostick give their collective finger to what they view as the hypocrisy of this peace ‘n’ love-espousing season in a world gone insane. By the time they get to the finale, these rad rockers are urging listeners to end it all. Yikes! (B-minus)

Classical touch

“PBS could probably raise a whole lot of pledge bucks with a video version of Josh Groban’s “Noel” (Reprise). His lilting, opera-pure vocalizings on “Silent Night,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “Ave Maria” feature no less than the London Symphony Orchestra, while “O Come All Ye Faithful” boasts backing by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Faith Hill and Brian McKnight also guest. (B-plus)

“When all the holiday preparations and partying have taken their toll, slap on the aptly billed “Christmas Break – A Relaxing Holiday Mix” (Telarc). It’s a mostly instrumental set of classically arranged, um, classics that really take the edge off. (B)

Jazzing all the way

“Even a curmudgeon protesting my Thanksgiving day spinning of Christmas discs was taken by the cool treatments of tunes like “O, Tannenbaum” and “Christmastime Is Here” (yeah, the “Charlie Brown Christmas” song) done up by the 17-piece Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra in “Carol of the Bells” (OwlStudios.com). Guest vocalist Everette Greene is a real find – a burnished baritone in the Al Hibbler/Arthur Prysock tradition. (B-plus)

“For smooth jazz fans, Dave Koz’s “Memories of A Winters Night” (Capitol, B) and “Peter White Christmas” (Artizen Music Group, B-minus) fill the bill – though the latter may inflict you with candy cane-flavored cavities.