A Very Special Christmas 3
Part three of aseriesof records that benefits the Special Olympics,A Very Special Christmas 3from 1997 is as excitingly eclectic as its predecessors. Though it features the likes of R&B; chart toppers and hip-hoppersMase,Puff Daddy, andSnoop Doggy Doggand alt-rockersNo Doubt,Smashing Pumpkins,, Blues Traveler, and others, the real standout performances belong to Jonny Lang, with his bawdy, barroom version of "Santa Claus Is Back in Town" and Sting, who delivers a proper reading of that old English carol "I Saw Three Ships." The showstopper, though, isNatalie Merchant's "Children, Go Where I Send Thee" in an arrangement so rich and compelling it may top even the many five-star versions of this African-American hymn that have come before it.--Martin Keller