Audio Beaverhausen: Sarah McLachlan's & LeAnn Rimes' Christmas Offerings

The divas are alive with the sound of Christmas this year. Buddy B checks out their offerings.

Sarah McLachlan's The Classic Christmas Album is pretty much recycled. Most have been issued before, many on her previous Christmas album. Doing this is, frankly, pretty tacky.

Nonetheless, there is no denying the sheer beauty of this songbird's voice.
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "Prayer for St Francis" are beauties. And her version of John Lennon's "War Is Over" is a wonderful cover.

But buyer beware: this album is a retread of songs you may have heard before. I was sorry she couldn't include her rendition of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" that I believe was previously exclusively on a Starbucks collection.



More successful. perhaps, is Leann Rimes' Today Is Christmas that includes two songs written by the artist. The country/pop star's cover of holiday classics are all wonderful, ending with "Auld Lang Syne" for our New Year's Eve celebrations.

Ms Rimes is a belter who knows how to put a song across in true diva style. The album has been charting well at Billboard, who gave it a positive review. Her rendition of "Carol of the Bells" lends itself to dance floors and to remixes.



LeAnn's selection of songs is choice and includes Mitch Miller's "Must Be Santa," a spritely holiday classic I've loved since I was a kid.



So choose your dueling divas for your holiday entertainment this year! Available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and music shops everywhere.