Various artists
A Very Special Christmas (star) (star) (star) 1/2
The third in a series of fundraising albums for the Special Olympics, “A Very Special Christmas 3” maintains the high standards of its predecessors: the beautiful Keith Haring cover art, the frequently radical cover versions of traditional carols and a smattering of originals by an eclectic cast of pop stars. Although there are reverential readings of a few carols — Enya’s fog-shrouded “Oiche Chiun (Silent Night),” Tracy Chapman’s austere “O Holy Night” — the fun is in the quirkiness. Ex-Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell turns “Ave Marie” into a twisted cabaret song with the help of Eleven’s Natasha Shneider, Sting throws a Latin groove over “I Saw Three Ships” and a bevy of rappers led by Run-DMC’s Joseph “Run” Simmons takes “Santa Baby” for a ride through the projects. Combining the best of tradition with originality is “Christmastime,” a Billy Corgan tune lifted by a sumptuous Arif Mardin string arrangement, and “Christmas Song” (not the “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” favorite), a haunting acoustic number by Dave Matthews.
