With Christmas now all around  what could be better than a wonderful new classic for your collection , especially when it is already a classic given it was originally recorded in 2002. Add to this the fact that there are two charity initiatives behind the track and album it comes from. Given the importance of the two pronged appeal  appeal it makes sense to focus on these  from the outset and highlight key aims first on behalf of album this track came from to benefit The British Red Cross Society Africa Famine Appeal.

‘This campaign is to raise money and awareness of the plight of people in the horn of Africa who are undergoing yet another drought (Fifth rain less season) that is leading to the deaths of millions and is a direct result of Global climate change, much of which has been caused by man- made emissions.  Some of the poorest people, who have the least to lose are feeling the greatest pressures from the changes occurring in the climate and they are literally starving to death.  One poignant example was a family who had to walk for Ten days to find a support centre for their Two year old child that was dying of malnutrition and dehydration and this exemplifies the horror facing more than Twenty million people in the region.  It is quite likely to be wider spread than the famine in 1984 in the same region that galvanized the world wide Band aid appeal but this time is not receiving anything like as much publicity as other worldwide issues are pulling focus from the current situation.’

Then the other campaign beneficiary Forests for the Future –

‘Around the world, governments and scientists have declared a climate emergency. There will be no quick fix. But A Rocha is investing in communities and landscapes where we can make a difference:

Dakatcha Woodland – A Rocha Kenya is working with local people and buying land to secure a better future for Dakatcha, its people and its wildlife.

Atewa Range Forest Reserve – A Rocha Ghana is at the heart of an international campaign to save Atewa, a forest critical for threatened wildlife and the drinking water of five million Ghanaians.

West Bugwe Forest – A Rocha Uganda is initiating work to protect West Bugwe, teaching children the value of their environment and supporting families to reduce their use of fuelwood.

Tosso Forest – Eden CCI in Nigeria is researching the state of nature in Tosso and developing community-based conservation approaches to protect it.

A Global Carol recorded by The AM Band is an album loosely based on the Charles Dickens Classic but this time Scrooge is charged as a representative of mankind and it’s negligence in preserving life on the planet.  Humanity’s future lies in the balance due to the lack of response to the lack of action in the face of their own destructive tendencies.  

Freedom in the Air is the Christmas single from The AM Band album “A Global Carol” is based on a very loose adaptation of Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol it was recorded at the legendary Metropolis Studios and  also some may say the even more legendary Abbey Road studio so from the outset you know this is going to be quality . The track features an amazing choir with some of London’s best soul vocalists and a fabulous band with Andy Mitchell singing lead as usual.

Release of a Christmas single to raise awareness of Two Just Giving appeals: