By MARIO TARRADELL / The Dallas Morning News mtarradell@dallasnews.comTell us what you’re listening to Is everybody ready for Christmas? Well, then you’ll need some new holiday music to go with the shopping, gift wrapping, cooking, sipping and cozying. So here’s a look at many of this year’s releases. Serve up the eggnog and just hit play.

Captain Tennille , The Secret of Christmas (Retroactive Entertainment) For Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille’s first studio CD in 25 years, the enduring couple deliver their inaugural holiday disc. Folks, it’s utterly delightful. Ms. Tennille’s voice remains warm and husky, while Mr. Dragon’s still the keyboard whiz. The song selection goes from cute ( I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Tahoe Snow ) to classy ( The Christmas Star, Silent Night ).

And the ambitious Daryl of the Bells plays like a grand holiday opera. Diamond Rio , The Star Still Shines (Word/Curb) There’s no denying Diamond Rio’s musical prowess. These guys are expert pickers, lead singer Marty Roe’s pipes are as clear, crisp and comfortable as ever, and the band can still harmonize with gorgeous aplomb.

But with only one new song, The Star Still Shines, and oodles of Christmas material we’ve heard a million times, the group’s debut recording for Word/Curb plays like a footnote rather than a new chapter. Josh Groban , No l (Reprise) Producer David Foster, never one for understatement, surrounds Mr. Groban’s stunning voice in the aural equivalent of fruitcake paste. The grandiose strings are so overblown that midway through this disc your mood may turn from exhilaration to exhaustion.