Album: Thea Gilmore, Strange Communion (Fullfill/Universal)

Gilmore has gravitas. Her solemn contralto is warm as a hearth, still as a pine forest at night.

So any attempt by her to make a "Christmas album" is unlikely to be bloated with pudding and parodies of Darlene Love. Indeed, as you'd expect, Strange Communion is a grave examination of the ritual behaviour we indulge in at this time of year. Hushed, hearthful, questioning, piney. A sort of folk-rock Queen's Speech for reasoning people. Got some lovely bits in it too, like sixpences.