2. It's Christmas - HADLEIGH FORD
3. Credit Crunch Christmas - SPORTSDAY
4. White Kiss (Let It Snow) - B SYDES
5. How It Used To Be - MATT BONNER
6. Her Against The Sun - JACK, AND GILL'S DAUGHTER
7. Home Before You Know - DANIEL BROADHURST
8. iSong - ANDY McKAY
9. Lonely Christmas - DAVE McPHERSON
10. Yeah It's Christmas Time! - SOPHIE REYNOLDS
11. Daddy's Doin' Time For Robbin' Santa - PAUL LAMBERT
12. Hathaway Christmas - EILEEN FORD
13. Spread A Little Love Around - MARK COTTRELL & EVE MAULE-COLE
14. The Compass And The Foal - RUSSELL & THE WOLF CHOIR
15. Not On Christmas Day - C. JOHN FREEBORN
16. I Just Want To Say Merry Christmas - JAKOB DEIST iTUNES
17. Christmas Time - JAMES JEZUSEK BARNARDOS
18. Santa Payback - JOE MAC
19. Midnight - JACK SHAW featuring AINE BROWN
This year, the organization decided to do a Christmas album, with a worldwide digital launch through iTunes on December 12. A lot of great artists contributed their time and their music to this effort and all proceeds will be going to Barnardo's. Listening to some of the tracks (there are a host of YouTube clips and the iTunes samples are 90 seconds long), it's easy to see the artists took this effort seriously. These aren't tossed together Christmas songs; they are well thought out and well crafted, covering many aspects of the holiday season and a great deal of musical ground. There are some heartbreaking songs, here, as well as some joyous ones. And it would be kind of hard to refrain from laughing at Andy McKay's "iSong". My favorites so far (I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole thing yet) include "Her Against The Sun" from Jack, and Gill's Daughter, "Midnight" from Jack Shaw and Aine Brown, and "La La La La La" from Elliott Morris. But find your own favorites and consider "Barnardo's Alternative Christmas" this season. 19 original songs for only $9.99. That ain't bad--about 50 cents per tune. And all of it for a very worthy cause.