There are times when it is OK to wallow in a sea of sentiment and Christmas is one of them. No surprise then that so many musicians take the opportunity to diversify into the festive songs arena and, with barely a yo! ho! ho!, Glasgow Americana stalwarts the Porch Song Anthology throw their hat into the ring of sleigh bells with “Christmas Is Cold”.
With the wistful charms of Rachel Devine’s voice on its side, “Christmas Is Cold” could hardly fail. Indeed, only the hard hearted could fail to be moved by this folk flavoured variation on the lonely this Christmas theme and as it builds to a big finish with a commendable surefootedness, you will be unable to resist the urge to put down your mulled wine and hold hands with someone you love. It’s just that kind of song and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Eddi Reader liberated it for her own use.
Wonder if Santa would bring me Rachel Devine for Christmas? Probably not so I’ll have to settle for socks again. Ding dong merrily on high.