A Very Special Christmas 2

Second Volume of this Landmark Christmas Collection. Green Cover Art.

The follow up to the original, this collection in many ways surpasses the initial effort. Duets seem to rule here, with Cyndi Lauper and Frank Sinatra double teaming on "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," while the irrepressible Ronnie Spector shares the mic with Darlene Love for a resplendent "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson give "Blue Christmas" a steamy and sizzling once-over. Vanessa Williams stops the disc, though, with her simple yet stunning rendition of "What Child Is This." The then-sign-of-the-times inclusion, Michael Bolton, offers a forgettable "White Christmas," but it's the only real clunker in the bunch. Always just a tad too country to make it as a cross-over artist, Randy Travis still makes "Jingle Bell Rock" his own in his smooth way. --Steve Gdula