We Three Kings

We Three Kings, the follow-up to The Irish Tenors popular 1999 holiday extravaganza, Home For Christmas, is a lush collection of festive classics, and a worthy companion to its predecessor. The tenors' impressive pipes ring clear and true on yuletide standards like "Silent Night" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas." The arrangements are powerful, compelling, and tastefully compliment the trio's flawless delivery, especially on the title track. The inclusion of the gorgeous blue collar anthem, "Fairytale Of New York," by The Pogues, is a brave step for these gentlemen — though they omit an entire section, probably due to the references to sluts, scumbags, and maggots so skillfully penned by the great Shane MacGowan — and they deliver one of the most stirring and engaging performances on the album. The record boasts four bonus tracks including the non-secular "How Great Thou Art," and a lovely rendition of "The Lord's Prayer." The addition of patriotic numbers like "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" and "America The Beautiful," while performed beautifully, are glaring examples of an unnecessary post-September 11th trend that seems to imply that Americans won't buy a product devoid of sympathetic flag waving, and unfortunately interferes with the album's good natured holiday cheer.