HOLIDAY PLAYLIST

Popular vocalists salute the season with their latest releases

Left: HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
In the liner notes for Martina McBride's White Christmas, the country chanteuse writes: "When we started talking about doing a Christmas album, I knew exactly the kind I wanted to make. Classic. Nostalgic. The kind of album you put on year after year - to trim the trees. To wrap the presents. The kind of album that inspires memories. Old and new." Well, done and done. McBride could have opted to infuse some country twang into her holiday opus, but she wisely decided not to. She stays true to the spirit of every one of the 16 songs she covers and she's obviously a fan of the season. And while every track is above par, the one that clinches it is "Baby, It's Cold Outside," a duet with Dean Martin made possible by the magic of modern technology - a little sexist yes, but we can overlook that in our music this month.

Right: LOOKING BACK
By the time she sang the last note on her Thanksgiving Eve 1998 CBS special, Celine Dion had solidified her reputation as one of the best entertainers in history. By the end of the 90s, the Canadian songstress had become the world's best-selling female recording artist. These Are Special Times is a collector's edition of Dion's multi-platinum album by the same name with a re-mastered version of the original CD and a DVD of the aforementioned broadcast. And what better conduit is there for holiday songs than Dion's voice? The singer covers all the favorites - "O Holy Night," "The Christmas Song," etc. - with her customary vocal aplomb. In the DVD we see the diva on stage as she performs her greatest hits, yet more holiday jingles and duets with everyone from Andrea Bocelli to Rosie O'Donnell.