Music sound bytes for the holidays

AP — Do you hear what I hear? Bob Dylan singing Christmas carols?! Ho ho ho.

The first reaction is this must be a joke. At age 68, rock’s greatest troubadour remains a formidable force, as several fine recent albums have shown. But Dylan’s also a Jew who declared himself born again at one point but never recorded a Christmas album — until now.

Indeed, Christmas In The Heart is pretty funny, with the toll of braying “How does it feel?” for 45 years evident throughout. Dylan’s vocals are wobbly, froggy, choppy voice is like that of an old friend, so he brings a natural warmth to holiday music.

On his third Christmas CD, A Cherry Cherry Christmas, Neil Diamond sprinkles a few original songs into a new collection of classics.

He cleverly works the names of his past hits into the hopeful title track. But holiday party guests — and anyone who spent time in the ‘60s, ‘70s or ‘80s - will find themselves singing along with Diamond on Christmas classics such as Sleigh Ride and The Christmas Song.

He gets jazzy on Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and adds ‘50s-style harmonies to White Christmas. Winter Wonderland becomes a rock song. Deck thistic soul.

While she includes carols that embrace Jesus and Christmas season, this is not a religious album. Instead, Tori Amos calls it a celebration of the Winter Solstice. It touches on mythology and empowerment, and in her eyes, provides the perfect blend of spirituality and nature.

Amos penned five of the albums dozen songs, and changed others to reflect a modern touch.

The album’s first track What Child, Nowell is a restructuring of the holiday favorite, What Child is This? but without the Greensleeves melody most listeners are familiar with. Amos wanted to present the 19th-century classic on its own which Halford truly shines, using his dramatic multi-octave voice to great effect on tracks like Oh Come, Oh Come Emanuel, What Child Is This?, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, and the album’s tour de force, Oh Holy Night, where Halford’s powerful pipes are put to their best use on the soaring breaks. You’re almost waiting for the part where he screams, “Until SATAN arrives!” But it never comes. And that, boys and girls, is a true Christmas miracle. — Wayne Parry