Dubbed the "Prince of Pops" by the Chicago Tribune nearly 30 years ago, Erich Kunzel – one of the most successful classical crossover artists of all time – has recorded over 70 albums for Telarc; one of the most popular of those is 1990s Christmas with the Pops. The warm and wonderful Christmastime Is Here, named for the Vince Guaraldi classic from A Charlie Brown Christmas that's given a spirited reworking here, is something of a sequel to that collection. With the exception of a punchy Dixieland arrangement of "Jingle Bell Rock," Kunzel and the orchestra – working with the Indiana University School of Music Singing Hoosiers, under the direction of Dr. Michael Schwartzkopf – play most of the classics here very straightforwardly. That is to say, charming, elegant and engaging, just not overly innovative. Telarc's true stroke of genius is having some of its top jazz vocalists perform on lush but smartly restrained arrangements of various classics – like Tierney Sutton on "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and John Pizzarelli on "Silver Bells." The disc also showcases two of the label's newest artists, Ann Hampton Callaway (a haunting "I Wonder as I Wander") and Tony DeSare (doing Mel Tormé proud on a dreamy version of "The Christmas Song"). This is 2006's premier holiday disc for lovers of jazz, pop and classical music.

Broadway veteran Liz Callaway and cabaret/jazz vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway joined forces for an extended engagement at Birdland in 2011, exploring favorite pop songs from the 1960s and early '70s. The two sisters explain a little bit about their influences and thoughts about some of the songs between performances and connect with their attentive audiences. Whether singing together or individually, they capture the essence of each song, supported by pianist Alex Rybeck's lively arrangements. They're equally effective interpreting ballads like Carly Simon's "That's the Way I Always Heard It Should Be" and Marvin Hamlisch's "The Way We Were" as a duo, complementing one another's voices.