Best Bets

Raul Malo

This singer and songwriter has never been easy to categorize. Raul Malo rose to prominence in the '90s with the Mavericks, playing a distinctive brand of tradition-minded yet progressive country, but since then he has also distinguished himself as an Orbisonesque rock balladeer and a Sinatra-style crooner, and incorporated the sounds of his Latin heritage into his music. Now a solo act, he has a new album, Lucky One, due March 3, that is full of retro echoes while maintaining a contemporary freshness.

- Nick Cristiano

Malo's Christmas Party is at 8 tonight at the Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood. Tickets: $29 and $36. Phone: 856-858-1000.

The

Vienna Boys Choir

will be home for Christmas, but not before the group finishes a tour that will bring it to our region for a holiday concert. The 24 boys, each blessed with an angelic voice and dressed in a crisp sailor suit, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside. Tickets: $28.50 and $35. Phone: 215-572-7650.

» READ MORE: www.keswicktheatre.com

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New this week:

The Day the Earth Stood Still

**1/2 This entertaining update of the 1951 sci-fi classic works along the lines of a lightbulb joke. How many astrobiologists does it take to save the Earth? One, but only if the Earth really wants to change. Jennifer Connelly is the astrobiologist and Keanu Reeves the alien life form who learns to appreciate humans. PG-13.

- Carrie Rickey