So where to begin? How do you start to review the first All About Eve studio album for tens years? Okay, so it’s not the ‘proper’ full-length, eagerly anticipated follow up to 1992’s Ultraviolet but it’s still something that I suspect none of us thought we’d be welcoming into our homes as 2002 starts to wind down. And for that, if nothing else, it’s a momentous and exciting event so I approach the task of telling you, expectant reader, about it with some trepidation.

Looking at the track listing, the first reaction is probably something along the lines of ‘What the ****?’ – Wham, Aled Jones? Thankfully “A Winter’s Tale” is by Queen and not the David Essex song of the same name, but even so the average fan is going to wonder what’s going on here.

But fret not dear reader, it’s really not as scary as it sounds. Iceland is a ‘Winter’ themed album – something to see you through those cold, dark evenings – a soundtrack to the touch of falling snow and sparkle of ice and most of all, an indication of where the band are and a small taster of what we might expect in the future from two brand new compositions – YES!!!

This is not an album for driving along in the summer with the windows down or a soundtrack to a party but then it was never meant to be.

BUY ONLINE NOW - £10.00 Last Christmas 4:20 Walking In The Air 4:33 December Revisited 7:00 Melting 4:48 Cold 7:05 A Winter's Tale 3:41 December Amnesia Mix 6:29 Total running time 37:56

So what do we get…

Well, first of all these are not your normal cover versions. The mood throughout is dark but not gloomy or depressing, merely echoing the feel that this time of year brings.

Each song has been given a radical and very fresh interpretation. Opener ‘Last Christmas’ does take you a bit by surprise on first pressing play, especially if you’re expecting anything like the original. It completely does away with the cheesy 80s pop sound and really makes it a very credible choice, keeping the recognisable melody of the original but adding washes of chorused acoustic guitars and keyboards upon which Julianne’s voice floats and drifts, evoking visions of a snowflake being blown around gently on the breeze as it falls from the sky. Insistent in it’s direction and destination but not overly concerned with how it gets there. Laid back and easy – relax and go with the flow.

Second track, ‘Walking in the air’ was initially my least favourite but having played the CD a fair few times in the 24 hours since it dropped through my letterbox, it’s proving the old adage that it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for. It sounds nothing like the original other than keeping the vaguest vestiges of the melody and won’t be anything like what you’re expecting. Peeled back the absolute bare essentials, a lone sequence of notes set the pace on top of a simple drum loop. The treated vocals are almost spoken and sound like an icy winter wind has suddenly found a voice and is describing what it sees and experiences as it passes over the world. The intensity is occasionally broken by expanded keyboard/string sounds and a whispered voice low in the mix, almost as if the wind is stopping to listen to the people below. Easy to dismiss but in reality a gorgeous journey into the minimalist that really does reward the listener if given a chance.

Next we get onto more familiar territory - the AAE classic, ‘December’. The original is a favourite of many, myself included, and if you couldn’t stomach the fabulous version played at the Union Chapel gigs, this revisited version may come as too much of a shock. In many ways based on the UC version and retaining much of the feel of that version, it’s not quite as laid back and has been brought very much up to date with loops and washes of sound in such a way that you’d never guess it was what? Thirteen years old?

And so to the two brand new compositions. I say compositions because ‘Cold’ is an instrumental. Bit of a surprise and listening to it I was thinking…. “hmmm, I like this but when do the vocals start?”. But be not disappointed as it really doesn’t matter. There are faint hints of whispered voices at points throughout if you listen very, very carefully and I might have liked for these to be a bit more obvious but this is an album of winter moods and this track does as much to highlight that theme as any. Led by a simple piano, comparisons could possibly be drawn to ‘Julie Christie’ from the Mice album but close the curtains, turn the lights low, light a few candles (or a fire if you’re lucky enough to have one) and simply relax and let it carry you away. Lovely…

The new songs played on the May 2002 tour gave a fair indication that All About Eve are in no way rehashing the sounds of the past. They’re still very much AAE songs, how could they be otherwise with Julianne singing them, but a modern and vital AAE. That sense of feeling is noticeable on the other newie ‘Melting’. Opening with an almost ‘Jules et Jim’ sound it develops into a song that really does almost make you feel like you’re melting – Julianne’s vocal literally dripping off the music. Quality.

‘A Winter’s Tale’ is a little known Queen song. Appearing on their last album ‘Made In Heaven’ which was only completed after Freddie Mercury died, it’s a subtle song. Minus Brian May’s guitar this version is very similar, but all the better for keeping the treatment simple - a gentle keyboard backing over which Julianne’s layered voice is really allowed to shine. An unusual choice but very effective.

And so we come to the last track and what will possible be the biggest shock to many – especially the devout traditionalists who want the band to go back to the 80s – the ‘December Amnesia Mix’. Wow – in my view it’s worth getting the album for this alone. It departs somewhat from the moods created by the rest of the album but I love it. Play it loud, very loud and really feel the bass and driving rhythm.

Hints of the original are in there somewhere but this is a full-on remix. I don’t like to make comparisons as it’s AAE doing what they want to do, expressing where they are and where they’re heading. They’re not trying to be someone else but one word sprung to mind when I first played it……Moby. If that scares you, don’t let it.

This album is probably nothing like you’d expect it to be given the track listing. The band have really showed their talent at rearranging the songs so effectively and coming out with a definite statement as to where they are heading – indications of which were heard back in May. And while it won’t appeal to everyone, most people welcomed the new songs then and realised that despite the more up to date sounds/loops etc, they were still AAE songs. Hopefully those people will continue to keep an open mind and realise it’s just an AAE that are revitalised, growing and looking to the future and despite the dark winter days this album represents, that future is definitely looking bright.