MICHAEL BALL & ALFIE BOE: Together Again (Decca)

THE biggestselling album released in Britain in 2016 wasn’t by Robbie Williams or Michael Bublé, but the unlikely duo of Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. Having topped last year’s Christmas chart with Together, theatre giant Ball and tenor Boe are now back with a second helping. Polished by the classical crossover producer Nick Patrick, but still packing an emotional punch, Together Again has a power and precision that’s hard to fault. Ball and Boe are also bolder in their

song choices this time. Big tunes from The Lion King and Beauty And The Beast are only to be expected on a blockbuster such as this, but there are genuine surprises, too. The pair cover Hero, an obscure 2012 single by Californian indie-rockers Family Of The Year and they sound as if they are having a real hoot on a brassy Bring Me Sunshine. Launching the album this week, the duo joked about returning this time next year with a third instalment called Not Again. Given the roll they’re on, this could well become a seasonal fixture.

BALL & Boe start a UK tour at the Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, on November 30 (livenation.co.uk). The duo host an hour-long special on ITV at 9pm on Sunday.