MANILA, Philippines?Christmas is just around the corner, and what better way to spread the cool season?s message of hope and renewal than through the Yuletide carols and hymns that fill the air wherever we go? This year, add Martin Nievera?s ?My Christmas List? and Lani Misalucha?s ?The Gift of Christmas? to your holiday CD collection.

You can always rely on Martin and Lani to deliver polished covers, but their distinctive voices are best showcased in ballads and tunes that require power singing. Their albums feature contrasting versions of ?Grown-Up Christmas List,? ?White Christmas? and ?It?s Just Another New Year?s Eve,? but Martin?s lineup has more variety and novelty:

Youngest son

Nievera?s ?My Christmas List? has 18 songs in its well-chosen lineup. he sings with sons, Robin and Ram, in the alternative pop tune, ?Forever I Am Yours?; collaborates with Alex Godinez in ?Christmas Love,? and features the voice of youngest son, Santino, in Kenny Loggins? bluesy country tune, ?Celebrate Me Home.?

The repertoire includes self-written songs and well-produced covers of ?Give Love On Christmas Day,? ?My Heart?s Song,? ?It?s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,? ?Blue Christmas,? ?What Child Is This?? and his own Yuletide hits, ?Can?t Stop Christmas? and ?All I Want (This Christmas).? (We note, though, that Martin has a tendency to use too much echo in his recordings, which occasionally distracts from his earnest performances.)

Interestingly, Tagalog songs bring out the best in Martin?s voice. The collection contains three Tagalog tracks, including his version of Gary Valenciano?s ?Pasko Na, Sinta Ko,? ?Maligaya Sana Ang Pasko? and Tats Faustino?s bittersweet ?Nakaraang Pasko.? (Even more interesting are Martin?s revealing stories about the songs in the liner notes.)

Misalucha?s ?The Gift of Christmas? contains only 12 cuts, but her collection has a more cohesive feel.

In fact, this album is more polished than her recent cover CD, ?Reminisce.? She reaches some very high notes without shouting, and there?s no trace of vocal excess anywhere.

Moreover, she beautifully weaves the tunes? familiar notes together?sometimes, you want to remove the accompaniment and just listen to her exquisite vocal rendering.

In Lani?s masterful interpretations, there?s hardly any throwaway track (though we?re a little disappointed with the showy ?When A Child is Born?).

You may have heard ?White Christmas? a million times already, but her version utilizes a more upbeat arrangement and an unusually optimistic sensibility. She showcases her unique vocal improvisations in songs like ?Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas? and ?I?ll Be Home for Christmas,? but she never goes over the top.

Intimate take

Must-hear cuts too are her remakes of ?Merry Christmas, Darling? ?Little Christmas Tree,? ?Do You Hear What I Hear?,? and her surprisingly intimate take on Martin Nievera?s ?Christmas Won?t Be The Same Without You.?

In their new Christmas collections, Martin and Lani don?t merely display beautiful singing, they also convey optimism, hope and renewal, which is how the Christmas season should be observed!