The video for Tom Baxter's 'Better' sums it all up really - the camera flicks between a guitar-strumming Tom and a selection of couples exchanging glances, holding hands, giggling at sweet nothings and gazing adoringly into each others' eyes... and despite what you might expect, it's totally convincing, just like the song.
You see, this is a love song for people who are actually in love. I'm not talking about the kind of love that gets reported in the gossip columns, or the pale imitation that fuels the teenage pop market - this song is about love making life worth living. 'See, what I'm trying to say is, you make things better/And no matter what the day is, with you here, it's better' sings Tom over a tune that's instantly appealing and eminently hummable, and you can't help feeling the same about the man himself.
Thanks, Tom, for some genuine Christmas spirit, and here's to the forthcoming album. If 'Better' is anything to go by, it's going to be the perfect antidote to the January blues...