Albums

Various Artists, Bobby McGees, Paul Hawkins, Steveless, Dawn of the Replicants - A Very Cherry Christmas 2

Owen Stallings 05/12/2006

Rating: 4/5

This the second Christmas offering from the guys at Cherryade, the label that brought you releases from Steveless and The Bobby McGees. First things first, you really can't complain about this compilation on value for money terms - twenty-two tracks is a mighty collection indeed. There again, a mountain of tracks doesn't necessarily guarantee a great listen and it's often the case that only a handful of tracks live on in memory for any meaningful length of time. But that's hardly a surprise when the tracks are often hastily cobbled together in time for the Christmas push.

The one thing that stands out about this collection is its eclectic nature (as well as, strangely, a high proportion of Scottish accents). It also has some notable contributors such as Dawn of the Replicants, The Girl from Headquarters, The Beatnik Filmstars and Jack Hayter, as well as Steveless and The Bobby McGees. Highlights include Paul Hawkins' light-heartedly and somehow endearingly out-of-tune take on marital break-up at Christmas and the pure, straight-to-the-arteries pop of True Adventures.

This is well worth a listen, as there is sure to be something here that tickles the old musical taste buds, and if only one track here makes you go 'Yeah!' then you know it was worth the outlay.

Cherryade music