Things Christmasy (mostly) - from Alan

1. Santa Monica - Savage Garden A laid back start to the mix, not my sort of thing to be honest, but some neat lyrical touches turned things around towards the end of the track. I quite like the idea of somebody pretending to be a super model or Norman Mailer on the telephone.
2. The Man in the Santa Suit - Fountains of Wayne Ah, this is more like it. Some obligatory sleighbells to set the mood for a nifty little song about a grumpy fat man who looks like Jerry Garcia dressing up as Santa to earn some money.
   
3. Fairy Tale of New York - Pogues and Kirsty McColl A classic Christmas song, mawkish, grim, funny and ultimately cheering.
   
4. Winter Coat - Paul Kelly Oddly enough, this reminds me of bits of The Wall by Pink Floyd, not so much for the music as the feel of the lyrics with somebody retreating to the safety of a winter coat as a shield against the world.
5. Houston Angel - Chris Rea I'd not heard this track before, and it has really grown on me. I was under the impression that Chris Rea had gone a bit bonkers recently releasing 12 volume box sets of folk music, but this is a nice bit of sleazy blues rock which is right up my street. Thumbs up.
6. I Want an Alien for Christmas - Fountains of Wayne Fun, boppy and poppy. I think I might have to check out more of these guys.
7. The Twisted Chipmonk Song - Bob Rivers I was all set to hate this, and then I listened to the lyrics and nearly crashed my car chortling at it. Excellent.
8. Innocents' Song / Gwithian - Show of Hands Ooh, this is a change of pace. Very atmospheric, almost to the point of being menacing. A perfect antidote to Christmas schmaltz.
9. The Falmouth Packet / Haul Away Joe - Show of Hands A more up tempo track with some virtuoso fiddle playing that makes me feel like dancing a jig. These are definite musts for further investigation I think. It segues nicely into a proper sea shanty that goes nicely with my collection of Pirate tracks (as in yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, not the other kind!)
10. Shadow of the Day - Linkin Park Not quite what I was expecting from Linkin Park, but a nice laid back track that reminds me of Green Day
11. Cardiff Bay - Martyn Joseph Technically very good, but this left me a bit cold I'm afraid. He's a bit of bargain basement Mark Knopfler to my ears.
12. Alcohol - Bare Naked Ladies An excellent sing along party track - cheers!
    
13. Wild West Show - Big and Rich I like this, but I was expecting it to be a bit more country than it actually was. I can has more steel guitars, pls?
14. Dreaming in Red - The Calling I had to listen to this a couple of times because it sort of drifted in one ear and out of the other. It's ok, but a bit bland I think.
15. Angels of Silence - Counting Crows Ah, this is more like it. Punchy, up beat and in your face. I think I'd probably like more of this sort of stuff.
16. Queen of the New Year - Deacon Blue This is actually only the second track on the mix that I've heard before, and it's another favourite. A good way to start the new year, I think
17. Unanswered Prayer - Garth Brooks As with the Big and Rich track, I was expecting this to be more country than it was. A mawkish song like this really needs the full on country treatment for best effect.
18. Another Year's Gone - Hootie and the Blowfish Hmm, I was a bit dubious as I can remember not thinking much of Hootie and the Blowfish first time around, but this track is a definite grower.
    

All in all, an excellent mix with a good selection of styles and a very positive hit to miss ratio. The real stand outs were Fountains of Wayne and Show of Hands, both of which were completely new to me, and warrant further investigation. Thanks Alan - much appreciated!