Rebecca St James - Christmas

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

My nomination for the best yuletide album of the year- though considering the sleighbell ridden dross that yearly pours from the record companies, that's possibly not saying a lot. Rebecca's previous album 'God' was to my mind a bit of a classic and this follow up, with the same artful mix of rock guitars, funky bass and programmed drums, courtesy of producer Tedd T, breathes passion and intensity into the stereotypical material here ("O Come Emanuel", "Silent Night", "O Come All Ye Faithful"). There's an effective cover of John Lennon's "Happy Christmas" (really!) while throughout that feathery light, haunting voice purrs with passion and sensitivity. Maybe even with the over supply of Christmas CDs I'm not mutating into Scrooge.