The end of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City Feb. 24, brought many festivities during the closing ceremonies, among them a duet by British soprano Charlotte Church and American tenor Josh Groban. Their recent albums carry their collaboration, “The Prayer,” and it is this reviewer?s hope that the efforts keep coming on strong.

Charlotte Church?s “Enchantment” is her fourth album in little over three years, with new twists on old show tunes (film and stage), classical pieces and some traditional Celtic pieces that are widely familiar to most Americans (the kind where you don?t know the name, but it sounds like something you?ve heard before). The album begins with “Tonight” (from “West Side Story”), a good jump-starter with smooth strings and vocals by Church that elevate the listener from ground zero to the clouds within the first verse. Next up is “Carrickfergus,” in which listeners get to hear Church sans her operatic vocal style. Added to a feel described by her as “contemporary,” she comes across sounding like an American rather than a Briton, and results in a relaxed, wonderful performance.

Album highlights include “Habanera” and “Bali Ha?i”, which benefit from updated percussion and conservatively modernized beats, and “The Flower Duet” and “The Laughing Song,” for the fleeting vocals and fantastic range she displays on the tracks. “Enchantment” lives up to its name, and as a whole is just as credible and competent as her previous albums. With familiar tunes and an orchestrally peppier backing, it?s easily an album worth listening to.

Josh Groban?s debut album is everything “Ally McBeal” fans have been waiting for. The charisma and power he exhibited in his performance on the show shines through the whole album, which has a largely Italian flavor and is produced by David Foster, the mastermind behind hits like Whitney Houston?s “I Will Always Love You” and Celine Dion?s “Because You Loved Me.” On the show, Groban played a shy high school senior who sang “You?re Still You” at his prom and completely won over his classmates in the show, and audiences around the country. His voice told the story in the lyrics with such fervor that it?s almost impossible not to be romantically inspired.

Groban?s vocals give a beautiful song an immortal quality, an opportunity few singers ever achieve. The album highlights are “To Where You Are” (another “Ally McBeal” song and a worthy successor to “You?re Still You”), and a collaboration with The Corrs (“Breathless”) on “Canto Allo Vita (Sing to Life)”. The latter sounds like one of Groban?s slow Italian tracks with a dance mix, but it works tremendously well. This album is a must for classical vocalist fans.

Finally, “The Prayer” is just what you might expect from mixing the style of Church with Groban, an operatic with Italian feel infused with powerful vocals. Angelic chimes throughout compliment Church, while a variety of deeper strings and instruments signify Groban?s presence. The lyrics are in English and Italian, and when they start jumping from one language to another the song grabs the listener by building momentum to lead into a dreamy and truly unforgettable final harmony.

In the world of music, Charlotte Church has certainly earned a respect and thriving career that her American peers cannot match. Josh Groban, likewise, has come to work and presented a quality that is deserving of the recognition he gets. It?s no accident that these two vocalists have teamed up, and after their albums and duet, one can only hope for more like them to come.