Rodney Crowell - Christmas Everywhere (2018)

For the past 41 years, Rodney Crowell’s holiday traditions have included reading Clement C. Moore’s iconic 19th century poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (or “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”), to his children and grandchildren on Christmas Eve. This year the singer-songwriter adds a soundtrack to that tradition in the form of his first-ever holiday-themed LP, Christmas Everywhere, out November 2nd on New West Records.

Featuring a dozen original tunes by the Texas-born tunesmith, the album, produced by Dan Knobler, features guest appearances from Vince Gill, Lera Lynn, Brennen Leigh, and poet Mary Karr and includes songs co-written with his daughters and granddaughters. Highlights include the title track, a duet with Lera Lynn, featuring a dream sequence in which a child asks Santa for a time machine to go back and prevent John Lennon’s murder. The closing track, “All for Little Girls and Boys,” was recorded in the early Eighties and features Crowell’s two oldest daughters, Hannah and Caitlin. Long regarded as one of the godfathers of the Americana music movement, Crowell’s creative Christmas-themed spark was fueled in part by a younger member of the Americana music community.

“One rather warm December day in 2011, I heard on satellite radio, Hayes Carll’s soulfully written ‘Grateful for Christmas’ and was so moved by the song – its wry humor and bare-bones honesty –that I ditched whichever errand or appointment I’d set out on in favor of an honest-to-God Christmas shopping spree,” says Crowell in a release. “Not only did ‘Grateful for Christmas’ jolt me out of a self-indulgent funk it also tweaked my creative curiosity.”

In celebration of Christmas Everywhere, Crowell will be a special guest during Amy Grant and Vince Gill’s unprecedented twelve-night “Christmas at the Ryman” concert series in Nashville, beginning November 28th and running through December 23rd. He also has a full slate of tour dates this fall, with additional dates in the spring in support of the recently released Acoustic Classics LP, on which he re-imagines a dozen of his best-known and favorite tunes from throughout his extraordinary Grammy-winning career.

Christmas Everywhere will be available digitally on November 2nd and will also be released on CD. In addition there will be three vinyl variants: the standard edition on coal colored, black and grey vinyl, a red-and-white split-colored vinyl, available at independent retailers, and a red-and-green marbled vinyl edition now available for pre-order.

TRACKLIST

1. Rodney Crowell - Clement’s Lament (We’ll See You In The Mall)
2. Rodney Crowell;Lera Lynn - Christmas Everywhere
3. Rodney Crowell - When the Fat Guy Tries The Chimney On for Size
4. Rodney Crowell - Christmas Makes Me Sad
5. Rodney Crowell;Brennen Leigh - Merry Christmas From An Empty Bed
6. Rodney Crowell - Very Merry Christmas
7. Rodney Crowell;Mary Karr - Christmas In Vidor
8. Rodney Crowell - Christmas for the Blues
9. Rodney Crowell - Come Christmas
10. Rodney Crowell - Let's Skip Christmas This Year
11. Rodney Crowell - Christmas In New York
12. Rodney Crowell;Daddy Cool & The Yule - All For Little Girls & Boys