Coal, Again!, TriBeCaStan (self-issued)

This is the second holiday entry by this band, and when we reviewed them the first time, we talked about their status as a slightly cracked world music ensemble, all instrumental. Things haven't changed for 2014; they kick off with "O Little Town of Bethlemayhem," a ska-merengue blending; "Silver Bells" gets an almost New Orleans march treatment; "Little Drummer Boychik" flirts with klezmer but sneaks some funk into the lower frequencies; "Good King What's His Name" gives an almost Oriental treatment to Wenceslas with flute, steel drum and thumb piano; a lengthy world-jazz slow-tempo treatment for "Jingle Bells"; and there's almost too many genres to count on "Shchedryk/Carol of the Bells." I think I liked the first one better, but you world music mavens will probably detect a lot of musical references I missed.