Album: The Priests, Harmony (Epic)

Having already released the fastest-selling classical debut album of all time, we were never going to have to wait too long for the follow-up, just in time for Christmas.

The trio worked with the same producer, Mike Hedges, to get the pop-textured settings of a similar mix of classical motets and popular religious songs – though the returns are significantly diminished on Harmony. The opening "How Great Thou Art" is warm and wholesome, and both "Te Deum" and "Stabat Mater" are accorded their due pomp, but these things are a matter of balance, and following a ponderous "When Thou Art Near" and overly sweetened "Silent Night", the concluding "You'll Never Walk Alone" is stifled by its own pomposity.

Download this How Great Thou Art, Te Deum, Stabat Mater