WinterFolk

Christmas albums are like buses – you wait for ages then a whole fleet comes along. Yet few Yuletide sets will match O'Hooley and Tidow's WinterFolk. Its mix of original, contemporary and traditional winter songs probes the darker side of the Yule season – via themes of poverty, religion, displacement, migration and loneliness, domestic violence (in their original song ‘One More Xmas’) and even global warming (in the glacial love song that is ‘The Last Polar Bear’). Steve Ashley's seasonal classic ‘Fire & Wine' opens, and there are songs too from Richard Thompson and the immortal ‘Fairytale of New York’. The duo draw from their previous works, including ‘Whitethorn’ and the beautiful ‘Wexford Lullaby’ from Jackie Oates' Lullabies album.

‘Coventry Carol’ is a one-take solo piano piece that's perfect for the still of a Christmas night, while the new ‘Winter Folk Carol’ proves to work fine a capella, with the duo in fine voice. All you can say is ‘Hallelujah!'