Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The Atlanta pop rockers have returned for their second holiday season release after the success of 2011's 'Smalltown Poets Christmas' and pretty good it is too if you're looking for contemporized carols mixed up with a few originals. Unfortunately, I found they tried a bit too hard to bring rock guitar edge into "Wassail Song" and the arrangement is a head-spinning muddle. Much better is the lilting pop original title track. Elsewhere there are reasonable renditions of "Angels From The Realms Of Glory" and "Good King Wenceslas" though the best cut of all is kept to track 11, a piano-led rendition of "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear". Covering all the bases, the album finishes with an orchestrally embellished run through of "Auld Lang Syne" complete with a heavenly choir climax. Some will find that distinctly OTT, others may enjoy it as they link arms with their buddies to celebrate 2015.

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.

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