"This Christmas" by Martha's Trouble. Spare but atmospheric, this is the best new Christmas album you've probably never heard of. (Aisling Records) Journal Sentinel Online, Milwaukee, WI Dave Tianen For Immediate Release November, 2008 Martha’s Trouble To Celebrate “This Christmas” With Release In November Based on the success of their past holiday EP, “Christmas Lights,” Rob and Jen Slocumb, the husband-and-wife team who perform as Martha’s Trouble, are set to release a holiday album on November 11th on Aisling Records. The disc will be available online, at shows, and at brick-and-mortar locations such as Barnes & Noble and Borders. Entitled “This Christmas,” the album boasts six covers of holiday favorites and two originals. The track listing is as follows: 1. Away In A Manger 2. Wonderful Christmastime 3. This Christmas (original) 4. O Holy Night 5. Jingle Bells 6. Christmas In The City (original) 7. We Three Kings 8. What Child Is This? “The album was recorded long distance with players contributing parts from a number of different locations,” says Rob. “We recorded our portion in Auburn, Alabama, some was completed in Asheville, North Carolina, and still other parts were recorded in Houston, Texas. We sent the files back and forth via email.” The album was co-produced by Rob and new band member Jacob Blount, who recently joined the group as a guitarist. The Slocumb duo, who split their time between the U.S. (Auburn, Alabama) and Canada (Ancaster, Ontario), augmented their typical two-piece recently with three additional band members: besides the aforementioned Blount, their live line-up now also includes Paul Dow on bass and David Ytterberg on drums. With the birth of two children to the Slocumbs in the past three years, their touring has remained primarily Southeast-based. A tour in support of “This Christmas” is planned to begin in late November (tour dates to be announced soon), with stops throughout the Southeast and Texas in the works. In February of 2008, Martha’s Trouble released an EP entitled (appropriately enough) “EP,” which has gained some airplay and press traction for the band over in Europe. Martha’s Trouble won the “Best Americana Album of the Year” at the Just Plain Folks Awards for their 2003 release “Sleeping Dogs” in late 2004. They released their fifth full-length album in 2005, “Forget October,” which saw heavy airplay on XM Satellite Radio. The press has called Jen’s singing “haunting, mesmerizing, mystical, seductive, entrancing,” and “spine-tingling… rich with experience, conviction and wonder.”