Bob Dylan to release Christmas album?

Bob Dylan is planning to release a Christmas album later this year, it has been claimed.

According to Isis - The Bob Dylan Magazine, the singer-songwriter has completed and mixed the record at the Groove Masters studio in Santa Monica in June.

Five cover songs have been slated for inclusion on the LP, including 'O Little Town Of Bethlehem', 'Silver Bells', 'Must Be Santa', 'Here Comes Santa Claus' and 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'.

An unnamed source said that Dylan will release the album through Sony, though there is no indication as to whether it will feature any new Dylan compositions.

The musician released Together Through Life earlier this year and it became his first UK number one LP since 1970's New Morning.

Dylan was born to a Jewish family in 1941 but publicly converted to Christianity in the late 1970s. His religious beliefs since then have been the subject of speculation.