A little later than planned, here's this year's Christmas release. Is this the first time that it's featured an original tune? Maybe.

Peace On Earth seems like such an obvious universal sentiment, and yet how we get there and who/what are considered expendable in the pursuit of particular versions of it are far from universal in their understanding. We've arrived at a place where saying that killing kids is bad is seen as a primarily a political position rather than a humanitarian one, albeit one with significant political implications.

In Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Gaza, people are being slaughtered for political ends. Civilian deaths are never OK. No-one's death is OK. As soon as we start deciding whose deaths are acceptable, our humanity is crushed.

As the sign I saw at an anti-war march 20 years ago said 'I'm already against the next war'. And back to music, it was Marvin Gaye who told us that 'war is not the answer, only love can conquer hate'. That's not hippy idealism, it's a difficult, nuanced, fragile, exposed path, that carries risks and requires humility and humanity in equal measure. How do we say 'this was wrong, we need a new way forward?' For me, music has always been a refuge, a means of expression, and the source of the deepest most profound challenges to live right. I'm grateful to the music and words of Bruce Cockburn, Michael Franti, The The, Jonatha Brooke, Yvonne Lyon, Billy Bragg, Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Living Colour, Martyn Joseph, Marvin Gaye and Jasper Hoiby, and all the others who have challenged and encouraged me to actively pursue peace, to see my work and art as a viable expression of that desire for a just future for all.

So, Peace On Earth. It's what we need, it's what the grieving, broken people of Gaza and Israel both need. The journey to peace is anything but hippy nonsense, it involves strong resolve and a commitment to nuance and dialogue but it starts with a commitment to the sanctity of all life. Let's start there. Cease All The Fires. ♥️🕊️