Tinsel and Lights

There is something about the melancholy quality in Tracey Thorn's voice that would seem to make the idea of a Christmas album by her improbable. But Tinsel and Lights is no ordinary Christmas album. It is as singular in its choice of material as Thorn's voice is. Produced by Ewan Pearson (who helmed 2010's Love and Its Opposite), there is only one standard, in "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." The rest is compiled from material written by more contemporary composers: Randy Newman, Carol Hall, Joni Mitchell, Scritti Politti's Green Gartside, Stephin Merritt, Ron Sexsmith, Low, Jack White, and Sufjan Stevens. Thorn also contributes a pair of fine originals. For Everything But the Girl fans, Ben Watt plays on eight of these 12 cuts. Thorn's opener, "Joy," sets the tone for the album. Backed by her piano, an electric guitar, keyboards, and bass, she lays out the hard truth of Christmas for many: "You loved it as a kid/But now you need it more than you ever did...We'll gather up our