ST AGNES FOUNTAIN is the labour of love of
four of modern acoustic music's brightest (Christmas) lights -
singer/songwriter David Hughes, Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie and
respected female duo Chris While and Julie Matthews. 
The St Agnes Fountain oak grew from the acorn
of a limited edition Christmas EP released a couple of years ago by Hughes and
Leslie. Well received for its infectious and imaginative reworkings of
traditional carols and tunes, the two protagonists decided it would be great
craic to expand the project and rope in a few pals - and St Agnes Fountain was
born. This 11-track album lives up to - and surpasses - its predecessor with some great arrangements providing the springboard for a series of dazzling displays of singing and playing.
The songs and tunes will be familiar to most and few would fail to be impressed by the way this festive feast has been laid out on this particular table. "I Saw Three Ships" gets things off to a start, which promises much to come.
Hughes' distinctive guitar ushers in a peppering of banjo notes from Leslie before fellow Fairporter Gerry Conway swoops in with a booming percussive repetition that, from then on, propels the song along mightily. The four-part vocal harmonies are quite delicious and the whole thing's lent a middle-eastern flavour thanks to Leslie's violin and dulcitar.
It's a
stunning opener and, just as you're catching your breath, you're hit with the
most soulful reading of "Deck the Halls". As Hughes takes the lead vocal with
his unmistakable half-sung/half-spoken delivery, While and Matthews go
mega-Motown with the sweetest of backing vocals. 
Track three gives us yet another contrast as
Chris While's beautiful unaccompanied vocal leads us into Matthews' keyboards
and Leslie's mandolin for a magnificent, and dead-straight, reading of "In the
Bleak Midwinter/Jesu Joy of Manis Desiring". While's daughter Kellie
contributes a verse, showing, once again, that she's certainly inherited the
family pipes. So, three tracks in and already you're thinking: "Phil Spector's Christmas Album? Puh!" "Masters in This Hall" has a medieval feel to it with the harmonies bringing to mind monks at Evensong in ancient minsters. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is a showpiece for some very nifty mandolin from Leslie, given rhythmic support by Hughes and Conway and sounds as if it and "The Holly and The Ivy" were recorded one immediately after the other when the musicians had enjoyed it so much that one of them said: "Hey, let's try another like that." Or something.
Leslie's vocals and Matthews' piano take centre stage for "Sweet Bells" and Leslie's violin and banjo give "Good King Wenceslas" a most unexpected, almost Wild West saloon ambience. Where are those high-kicking dancing girls?
Also given the SAF treatment are "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Troika (Sleigh Ride) and "Auld Lang Syne", each of which goes to making this a record that, while rewarding repeated and careful scrutiny, would also provide the perfect soundtrack to a traditional roast turkey Christmas Day lunch.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be bombarded with ads imploring us to buy this or that and a selection of "essential" Christmas CDs. Take no notice of those - this is the best Christmas album. Ever!
Fred Hall