CHECK IT OUT

“Silent Night” may be the title of a beloved holiday melody, but it

hardly describes the preferred ambience for many seasonal revelries. To

infuse year-end gatherings with a merrier mood, check out sounds of the

season on library compact discs.

For holiday party givers looking for background tunes, Eric Tingstad

and Nancy Rumbel’s “Star of Wonder: An Acoustic Holiday Celebration”

includes 10 terrific instrumentals, including a fresh interpretation of

“We Three Kings” using Middle Eastern instruments. There are classical

renderings of “O Christmas Tree” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” as

well as less traditional carols like “Riu Riu Chiu” on this artistic

blend of guitar and woodwinds.

More contemporary sounds combine with traditional favorites on Celine

Dion’s “These Are Special Times.” Find a lively rendition of “Feliz

Navidad,” a wistful “The Prayer” sung with Andrea Bocelli and a

tear-inspiring “I’m Your Angel” duet with R. Kelly that spent six weeks

in the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 on this 16-song collection.

A masterful, a cappella adaptation of “O Holy Night” highlights ‘N

Sync’s “Home for Christmas,” providing ample testimony that players in

one of today’s most popular bands have some true musical talent. Finely

blended harmonies put a contemporary, R&B; spin on a medley of traditional

carols, interspersed with several fine original compositions on this

catchy compilation of seasonal tunes.

If you’re among the millions who’ve discovered the soul-satisfying

sounds of PBS stars Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan and John McDermott,

you’ll enjoy fine arrangements of some of the best-loved holiday songs on

“The Irish Tenors: Home for Christmas.” The popular Emerald Isle

vocalists put their best voices forward on this disc, in 17 tracks

performed with a 78-piece orchestra.

Orchestral richness also abounds on “When My Heart Finds Christmas,”

from New Orleans pianist, singer and songwriter Harry Connick Jr. This is

Sinatra-style holiday music with contemporary jazz overtones that

includes polished standards and original compositions delivered with

elegant vocal styling.

There’s a repackaging of holiday songs originally produced in the

1960s on “Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album,” that features a

new, live version of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by one of the masters

of smooth sounds. Another giant of American music reaches even further

back, to songs first released as a 78-rpm Musical Smart Set in 1946, on

“Season’s Greetings from Perry Como.”

The oldest music of all is perhaps that on “Chanukkah,” an eclectic

compilation of songs that reflect a diverse, multinational experience.

Along with traditional folk melodies, find historical and cultural

commentary by Theodore Bikel on this compact disc that illuminates much

of the meaning behind the eight-day holiday, which begins next week.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Debbie Walker. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers

by accessing the catalog at o7 www.newportbeachlibrary.org.f7