Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

North Cornwall band the Grenaways were formed by members of surf church Tubestation and the group released this Christmas EP last year to raise funds for international disaster charity Shelterbox. Rather than churning out the same old readings of overdone carols, the band thankfully put a fresh spin on proceedings with a somewhat blues rock take on old chestnuts such as "Come All Ye Faithful" and "Emmanuel" with some great vocals backed by a talented crew of musicians. Unfortunately, any kudos gained by the group's approach is negated by the unnecessary inclusion of a rather tuneless kids' choir - despite a passable performance in an experimental version of "Coventry Carol". Thankfully, alternate sans choir versions of the title track adaptation of "Three Kings" and the aforementioned "Emmanuel", as well as the album's aim to make money for a worthy cause and the fact that the Grenaways are a genuinely good band, go some way towards making up for this poor artistic judgment.

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