[NEW RELEASE] SUSAN BOYLE

How to properly harness the skill of Susan Boyle is something of a pop riddle. What’s the best way to deploy the soaring voice that comes out of this shy, British, middle-aged woman? Jazz? Broadway show tunes? Christmas songs?

Producer Steve Anderson thinks he’s cracked it: Give Boyle an old pop tune, surround her with an orchestra and let her start quietly before the musicians crank up and she ends up belting behind a gale of music.

The result is so formulaic that it gets tedious, but there’s no denying Boyle’s voice. The CD is being halfheartedly marketed as a Christmas album, but has few classic holiday tracks (who associates Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” with sleigh bells?)

Some choices are excellent, like the elegant, understated “What a Wonderful World” and “Always On My Mind.”

In a risky move, Boyle sings “When I Fall In Love” with the dead icon Nat King Cole. Aside from the creep factor, it’s fine. The very much alive Michael Bolton joins Boyle for “Somewhere Out There” that actually shows off Bolton more than Boyle. AP