Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

Arguably once the most famous choir boy in the world, with a highly successful recording, TV and concert career, Aled Jones walked away from it all in 1986 and at the age of 16 deliberately dropped out of the limelight. Even now he's still known best for "Walking In The Air" from the animated Christmas film The Snowman, which was a Top 10 single in December 1985, and garnered him an appearance on Top Of The Pops. Now, at age 31, married with a baby daughter, and that pure treble voice transformed into a strong and expressive tenor, he's back with an album of hymns, classics and traditional material, and those who will have seen Aled's occasional vocal contributions to BBC TV's Songs Of Praise in recent months will know what to expect, namely, a top quality musical performance and a delight from start to finish. There's even a nod to the old days, with Aled duetting with himself as he was in 1984, on Adolphe Adam's Christmas favourite "O Holy Night". Other songs given the Aled touch include Geoffrey Burgon's "Nunc Dimittis" from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Welsh favourite "Ar Hyd Y Nos (All Through The Night)", and pieces by Cesar Franck, Schubert and Handel. Aled gets strong support from the Llanelli Male Choir, the English Session Orchestra conducted by Robert Prizeman and The Prince of Wales's harpist Catrin Finch. If you still have visions of a little blond-haired lad in a cassock and ruff, then get hold of this and get up to date, because the new Aled Jones will be with us for a very long time. This is a terrific comeback - more please!

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.