Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The New Scottish Orchestra (sorry, The New Scottish. the Orchestra being dropped from the billing) are an important force for empowering Christian artists to impact the media and more than once they've been described as "a Scottish version of the All Souls Orchestra." Such comparisons are unfair as The New Scottish's remit is considerably broader taking in workshops and even a funk soul band (The Funk Foundation). Here the orch and chorus offer some excellent Jason McAuley arrangements of evergreen carols and then surprise us with a version of Kirk Franklin's "Joy" (soloist Paula Abla Fummey) and a deftly arranged version of Steven Curtis Chapman's "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". Nowhere is there a hint of yuletide cheesiness and the ensemble are to be congratulated for making such an eclectic album which celebrates the wonder of the incarnation with consistently strong musicianship.

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