Reviewed by Tony Cummings

It's confession time. As a veteran reviewer I struggle with Christmas albums. Although I understand the commercial motivations that ensure that every year dozens of well-respected Christian artists record Christmas songs and carols that have already been recorded thousands of times before the truth in most such releases are exceedingly dull. So the Northumberland-based songsmith is to be congratulated for putting out a yuletide album that avoids most of the pitfalls of the oeuvre (no saccharine sleigh bell arrangements, no grizzly Santa songs) and though one could question the inclusion of the corny "Winter Wonderland" or a couple of the too-familiar carols his renditions of the "Wexford Carol" and the moving, if underwritten, "Love Came Down" are effective. As it says on the bottom of my promo copy for this download only release, "Acoustic guitar. Gentle voice. Feel the ambience."

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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