There's much joy in the ol' cubicle every year when the first new Christmas CD arrives in my mailbox in search of some pre-holiday ink. So arise cult o' McLachlan! This year's early bird is mystery-building, sweet-surrendering Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan's first-ever holiday-season disc, "Wintersong." It's a pretty cool and trippy spin even two weeks from Halloween. McLachlan's ethereal multirange voice and ambient instrumental sonics make intriguing listens of even familiar songs like "The First Noel" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas." Also chill: covers of Joni Mitchell's "River" and Gordon Lightfoot's "Song For A Winter's Night." On Arista Records.

— Derek Paiva

EVENTS IMPACTED BY QUAKE

SYMPHONY, THEATER TICKET INFO

Events cancelled or changed because of the earthquake and power outage: