Tracey Thorn - Tracey Thorn Reteams With Everything But The Girl Bandmate For Christmas Album

Tinsel and Lights will feature covers of non-traditional festive tunes by the White Stripes, Sufjan Stevens, Randy Newman and Dolly Parton, among others.

Thorn says, "I've always wanted to make a Christmas record. Every year, when the Christmas albums start appearing in November, I get jealous and wish I had one coming out. Last year, I made a resolution to get recording in January to be ready for the following Christmas. And so that's just what I did."

Of her choices, she adds, "They're not all strictly Christmas songs, but if they mentioned winter or snow or even just being cold, that was good enough for me."

Tracks include Parton's Hard Candy Christmas, Newman's Snow, In the Cold, Cold Night by the White Stripes and Snow in Sun, which was written by Gartside.

The album also includes two Thorn originals - the title track and Joy.

She faces some stiff competition in the Christmas album charts - country star Blake Shelton, Rod Stewart, Smokey Robinson and Meat Loaf have also started work on their own festive projects.