Partial as I am to Chris Rea, nothing beats driving home for Christmas on the 24^th December accompanied by a bit of Classic FM. That’s how I first heard this version of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ by vocal group Blake. I remember stopping off at the shops en route and having to wait in the car to hear the end of the song before getting out.

Like Il Divo, Blake make classical repertoire more accessible to the popular market – their debut album made it into the Top 20, as well as straight to Number 1 in the Classical Chart. Funnily enough I had come across them before – they once did a gig at my school – but they had passed out of my memory until my wintery car journey.

They may look like a few posh boys on a jolly at Henley Regatta, but these gents make a pretty nice sound together. While the King’s Singers and their unaccompanied Bob Chilcott arrangements may have the edge in terms of pureness of sound and harmonic innovation, Blake have strong, classically-honed solo voices, as well as a very warm blend not just with one another but with their orchestral backing. Their set lists have included opera hits, musical theatre numbers, jazz standards, spirituals and pop classics, plus vocal interpretations of orchestral favourites like Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ and film scores like Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator.

The guys have gone for Harold Darke’s far prettier and more musically interesting setting of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, as opposed to the more simplistic Holst version. The verses alternate seamlessly between solo lines and full ensemble. It’s a credit to the blend of their voices that it took me a while to work out if it was three or four-part harmony (it’s four part), and all gels seamlessly with the gradually building chamber orchestra. In a single piece, the ambience of a choral consort, classical quartet and barbershop group is captured all at once.

Suffice it to say that, by the time I pulled up in the driveway that Christmas Eve, I was feeling thoroughly Christmassy.

One final tune tomorrow – if I can drag the Boys away from that California sun…