SAYINGS such as There's no place like home" and "Home is where the heart lies" conjure up a certain nostalgia for many of us.

We may be living abroad, or simply taking a holiday, to miss the place where we have spent a great part of out lives.

Singer and songwriter Christine Collister is no exception to the rule.

Despite the fact she is now living in London, she spent her childhood years in the Isle of Man and says the place is still in her soul.

Christine has even released a live CD which has been recorded over the past year on the island.

I lived there for 20 years and I often go back there because of my family and friends," she says.

The live CD is also CD-ROM enhanced.

It has videos on it with me pointing out my favourite places on the island and where I used to sing.

There is an interview of me and my parents on the CD-ROM which is hilarious.

My mother is normally the most talkative, but as soon as the camera was turned on, she became dumbstruck.

Yet my father, who is normally quieter, kept telling jokes and slapping his thigh. We all laughed about it afterwards."

The new CD is aptly called Home.

It's called that for obvious reasons and because I feel at home on stage," says Christine.

The Isle of Man is a little Scotland.

It's got wonderful coves, sandy beaches and pebbly beaches.

There's a lot of moor land there. It's a powerful place."

Christine's parents ran a hotel on the island for 25 years.

Tourism was prevalent then before the package holiday," says Christine.

You'd often get Irish people in for a fortnight and then Scottish people in for a fortnight."

Christine said she knew she wanted to sing from the age of six.

The first singing I did was in the choir in the local church and also at the local primary school.

When I was 10, I was bought an acoustic guitar for a Christmas present.

Twelve other people at the school also had the same present.

We'd all sit round in a circle at school and we all strummed the same chords, taking ages to get from one chord to the next."

Christine's father and mother used to be in a Skiffle band together, with Christine's father on tea-box bass and her mum on a wash-board.

Christine has been singing professionally for 20 years, and the release of her CD is part of that celebration.

Her voice borrows many strands of popular music, such as jazz, country, rock, blues and soul.

She sings a mixture of her own songs and cover versions.

I write from my own experiences," she says.

Christine may be a home bird, but the last 20 years have given her the opportunity to travel to America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Hong Kong.

She will be playing at Worcester's Huntingdon Hall, CrownGate, next Friday.

Tickets, which cost £9 or £8 with concessions, are available from the box office on 01905 611427.

Copies of the CD Home can only be bought at Christine's gigs or from her website www.christinecollister.com