'Highlights include 'Oh Holy Night', which morphs nicely into Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', and their knee-slapping country hoedown take on 'Angels We Have Heard on High'.'

When your average band decides to call it a day, they either simply vanish, release a Greatest Hits compilation or muster up all the creative energy they have left for that epic swansong album (and usually fail miserably).

But then the David Crowder Band were never your average band… and so their parting gift to their fans is a Christmas album.

With only eight tracks on it, Oh for Joy might be shorter than most Christmas CDs, but is probably more diverse musically.

Highlights include 'Oh Holy Night', which morphs nicely into Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', and their knee-slapping country hoedown take on 'Angels We Have Heard on High'.

And nd if that hoedown puts you in the mood for a little more jigging, then Keith & Kristyn Getty's Joy: an Irish Christmas is just the thing for you.

Traditional carols and new Christmas compositions mix with traditional reels and Uilleann pipes to fine effect.

This album just needs a cover of 'Fairytale of New York' to complete the Celtic Christmas experience – but given that it was aimed primarily at the American Christian music audience, that was never going to happen.

Daydream

Technically speaking, Katherine Jenkins’ Daydream isn’t a Christmas album. But it does evoke feelings of the season in its own way (especially with her rendition of ‘Ave Maria’), and it does feature the song she sang on last year’s Dr Who Christmas special.

Probably the most radical version of a Christmas carol you'll hear this year is the dubstep version of 'Little Drummer Boy' that appears on TobyMac’s seasonal offering, Christmas in Diverse City (I swear I haven't made that up!).

It's brilliant – if somewhat out of place on an album which is, for the most part, surprisingly mellow.

Owl City (real name Adam Young) makes a guest appearance on a cover of 'the First Noel'. Other guests include Toddiefunk (whose 'Santa's Co min' Background' takes us nicely into P-Funk territory) and Sixpence None the Richer’s lead singer Leigh Nash – whose own new solo effort, Hymns and Sacred Songs, is also well worth getting hold of.

The TobyMac/Leigh Nash duet from the afore-mentioned album (and 'the First Noel' from the David Crowder Band album) can also be found on the double CD compilation WOW Christmas 2011, along with carols and seasonal songs from Jars of Clay, Amy Grant, the Newsboys, Third Day, Chris Tolling, Michael W Smith and several other big names from the Christian music scene.

Have a musical Christmas!

Amazon links

Click the following links to order albums from the featured artists amazon.co.uk Christian Aid will receive a percentage of each sale made using these links.

• The David Crowder Band – Oh for Joy

• Katherine Jenkins – Daydream

• Toby Mac – Christmas in Diverse City

• Leigh Nash – Hymns and Sacred Songs

• Various Artists – WOW Christmas 2011

• Keith & Kristyn Getty – Joy: an Irish Christmas