The latest release reviewed

BETTE MIDLER
Cool Yule Sony BMG **

Although hearing such a restrained performance from Beverly Hills belter Bette Midler may qualify as a Christmas miracle, there are few surprises among these smoothly delivered seasonal standards, tastefully gift-wrapped in whispered strings or soft jazz arrangements. Keeping schmaltz levels to just below toxic, Midler decks the halls with predictable sentiments (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, I'll Be Home for Christmas, White Christmas), her polished tones and glossy orchestrations giving everything the sheen of an MGM musical, but muting any sense of character. To be fair, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and the Hawaian carol Mele Kalikimakaher are out of the ordinary. But a duet with Christmas crooner Johnny Mathis is staggered with corny faux camaraderie, while a "Christmas Version" of Bette's From a Distance sums up the whole enterprise: inoffensive, uninspired and wholly unnecessary. www.bettemidler.com