All About Eve - Iceland

With All About Eve clambering cannily back towards the profile they enjoyed in the '80s, this seven-track snowstorm is a stopgap, a "Christmas special", before their return proper. Its wintry themes include three bizarre cover versions—Wham's "Last Christmas", Aled Jones' "Walking In The Air" and Queen's "A Winter's Tale"—which, if nothing else, prove they have funny bones. Elsewhere, old hit "December" is radically revamped and "Cold" is an effective instrumental. Julianne Regan's voice is frustratingly under-used, but it's a joy to hear them tumbling down our chimneys again.

Rating: 3 / 10