TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMET RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“Simple Gifts.” Christopher Parkening. Angel/EMI. DDD (digital recording). This three-year-old collection has been “born again” in less religious packaging. The LP was titled “Sacred Music for the Guitar,” picturing the classical guitarist by a stained-glass window. The CD version offers a blander title and cover portrait. Unchanged, fortunately, is Parkening’s inspired performances of works by Bach and Mozart and a pleasant, if occasionally trite, assortment of hymns. Despite such repertory, agnostics and atheists need not shy away--good music is good music. 1/2