MANILA, Philippines?Nothing brings out that fuzzy, warm feeling better than an earnestly sung Christmas carol. To add luster and musical mirth to your holidays, here are choice cuts from the most recent holiday-themed releases of your favorite singers:

In ?Christmas From The Heart,? David Archuleta finds the perfect material to showcase his bell-like voice. But, if you think all you?re going to get from the ?American Idol? alumnus are pop-infused Christmas standards, think again.

Impressive duet

The teenage recording artist performs tunes that require sturdy and stable singing, like ?Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,? his impressive duet with Charice Pempengco that recently peaked at No. 24 on Billboard?s Adult Contemporary chart.

Archuleta?s sophomore collection is better than his eponymously titled debut album, and features the uniquely rendered ?Riu Riu Chiu,? the delectable French ditty, ?Pat-A-Pan,? and the Spanish hymn, ?Ave Maria.?

Andrea Bocelli?s ?My Christmas? is the year?s best-selling holiday collection, in which the Italian tenor sings holiday classics in English, Italian, German and French. It also boasts of his multi-genre collaborations with the impeccable Mary J. Blige (?What Child Is This??), Natalie Cole (?The Christmas Song?), Reba McEntire (?Blue Christmas?) and Katherine Jenkins (?I Believe?).

Christmas carols get a surprising makeover in Sting?s ?If On A Winter?s Night,? a cerebral and occasionally dour Yuletide collection that takes New Age music to a new direction. His Yuletide tunes are so unconventional that you can play them long after the holidays are over. ?The Hounds of Winter? and ?Gabriel?s Message? are haunting tunes, and ?Lullaby for An Anxious Child? is certainly not like any lullaby you?ve heard before.

Provocative lyrics

Tori Amos? repertoire in ?Midwinter Graces? also doesn?t sound very Christmassy, but it?s songs? provocative lyrics (?Star of Wonder?), baroque musicality (?Holly, Ivy and Rose?), and unpredictably catchy grooves (?What Child, Nowell??) are too enchanting to resist.

In ?Candle: Coventry Carol,? Amos prays for protection against the dangers that lurk in the dark. ?Jeanette, Isabella? is magically rendered, but is never saccharine. And, ?Winter?s Song? fuses the aural and thematic sensibilities of Christmas and fairy tales.

With ?Christmas in the Heart,? the gravelly voiced Bob Dylan brings his bluegrass drawl and populist aesthetic to his cheerful interpretations of such well-loved carols as ?Here Comes Santa Claus.? His voice is far from sleek and smooth, but his eager-to-please performances are nevertheless endearing.

Ronan Keating?s ?Winter Songs? is a sleekly produced compilation that evokes melancholy and nostalgia, and features the Boyzone frontman?s husky covers of Sara Bareilles? ?Winter Song,? Sugarland?s ?Stay? and ?The Little Drummer Boy,? which features Stephen Gately?s ambient backing vocals?the latter?s last recording endeavor before his untimely death last October.

Michael Bublé and Josh Groban treat music lovers to masterful renditions of holiday tunes in ?Let It Snow!? and ?Noel,? respectively.

The former sings the fun-filled ?Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow? and a heartwarming cover of ?Grownup Christmas List,? while the latter tugs at listeners? heartstrings in his moving remake of ?I?ll Be Home for Christmas,? which intersperses Groban?s singing with messages from American soldiers stationed in Iraq to their loved ones at home.

Among the unforgettable tracks from Clay Aiken?s ?Merry Christmas With Love?: The celebratory ?Hark the Herald Angels Sing,? the rousing Celine Dion-penned ?Don?t Save It All For Christmas,? and the lyrically provocative ?Mary, Did You Know?? (?Mary, did you know that the child you delivered would one day walk on water/ give sight to a blind man? Did you know that when you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God?)

Susan Boyle makes use of her angelic vocals to breathe life into ?Silent Night,? the lone Christmas track in her smash debut album, ?I Dreamed A Dream,? while Faith Hill lets ?Away In A Manger? and her Grammy nominated single, ?A Baby Changes Everything,? simmer, then soar with meaning.

Jazz aficionados can?t go wrong with Anita Baker?s ?Christmas Fantasy,? which features a classy improvisation of ?Christmas Time Is Here,? as well as the sprightly ?Frosty?s Rag? and the sensual ?Moonlight Sleigh Ride.?

OPM fix

If you need to get your OPM fix, listen to Ariel Rivera?s remastered ?Paskong Walang Katulad,? whose hefty lineup includes Francis Dandan and Dennis Marasigan?s dreamy ?Pasko Sa Maynila,? Vehnee Saturno?s frolicsome Yuletide romp, ?Silent Night Na Naman,? Jimmy Borja?s ubiquitous ballad, ?Sana Ngayong Pasko,? and Fr. Manoling Francisco?s musical prayer for peace, ?One More Gift.?

And, finally, to put all the merry-making and the Christmas season?s spirit of giving in perspective, get your copies of the soundtrack of the country?s longest-running religious musical, ?Magnificat,? as well as Ogie Alcasid and OPM Artists United?s inspirational single, ?Kaya Natin ?To,? which aims to raise funds for victims of the recent typhoons.

Fueled by finger-snapping riffs and an optimistic message, ?Kaya Natin ?To? features some of the country?s biggest singer-performers: Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Arnel Pineda, Charice Pempengco, Lea Salonga, Sarah Geronimo, Andrew E., KC Concepcion, Jaya, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Sharon Cuneta.

?Magnificat,? with music composed by Ryan Cayabyab (and Pinky Marquez singing the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary), chronicles the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of his mother.

After all, Christmas isn?t just another holiday. It celebrates the coming of God?s ultimate sacrifice?His only Son?to prove His love for mankind.

Merry Christmas!