Album Reviews

Boney M. `Christmas With Boney M.' SonyBMG

This is a collection of Christmas carols including ``Mary's Boy Child'' and ``Feliz Navidad'' which were all remastered by Boney M. The 19-track album presents a different take on carols reminiscent of 80's disco rhythms.

The opener, ``Mary's Boy Child'' by Harry Belafonte, which was recreated by the group, catches the ears of the listeners, especially the older generations.

``First Noel'' and ``Oh Christmas Tree'' are a wonderful reinterpretation of Boney M., while ``Joy To The World'' and ``Auld Lang Syne'' offer familiar but comfortable sounds.

The album continues to heat up the holiday atmosphere through ``Christmas Medley'' ― a medley of ``Silent Night, Holy Night,'' ``Snow Falls Over The Ground,'' ``Hear Ye The Message'' and ``Sweet Bells.''

-Chung Ah-young

Christmas Hits `Festive Favorites' SonyBMG

This is a must-have Christmas compilation by top artists, which is one of Koreans' most beloved Christmas hits.

The album consists of 58 tracks well representing its festive mood as well as religious celebrations with diverse musical styles.

The three-CD package includes Mariah Carey's ``All I Want For Christmas Is You,'' Wham's ``Last Christmas,'' Westlife's ``I Have A Dream,'' and Il Divo's ``O Holy Night.''

The album also caters to older fans' tastes with Frank Sinatra's ``Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town'' and Cliff Richard's ``The Millennium Prayer,'' and Elvis Presley's ``Merry Christmas Baby,'' and Harry Belafonte's ``Mary's Boy Child.''

Wyclef Jean `The Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant' Sony

The good news about Wyclef Jean, ever since his days with the Fugees, always has been his artistic ambition, depressingly rare in a genre that unhesitatingly rewards the safe and mundane.

But that ambition has also been 'Clef's Achilles' heel. His never-ending quest to prove he's the most "ecleftic" hip-hop impresario around has given him a scattershot career missing a definitive statement that would help him reach the level of his oft-cited idols: Marley, Gaye and others.

"Memoirs," the follow-up of sorts to 'Clef's 1997 solo debut "The Carnival," isn't that definitive statement. However, it's impressive in its own right, an authentic world-music showcase encompassing both hemispheres.

The diversity works in part because most of 'Clef's songs have their roots in the Latin-Caribbean sounds which increasingly dominate pop music and are built around the simple core of his guitar and gritty, island-inflected voice.

-Dan LeRoy (Distributed by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service.)