The Shotgun Seat’s Favorite Country Carols

I have to confess: I’m not a huge fan of Christmas music. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I love Christmas. I keep my tree up way past when it loses that delicious douglas fir smell. Anyway.

What I love about this Lee Ann Womack song is that it’s not a traditional holiday song, but it has all the elements of classic Christmas ballads: shimmery percussion, delicate strings, intimate vocals. The title track from Womack’s 2002 holiday album The Season for Romance, the song is decadent in its simplicity. Her vocals, unsurprisingly, absolutely kill it, and lyrically, the song’s like the non-sexual sister to bizarre classic “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”

Martina McBride released a breathtakingly simple version of the “O Come All Ye Faithful” as part of the 2007 “Hear Something Country Christmas” compilation CD.  The tempo is slightly slower than is customary with this classic Christmas hit, giving McBride’s version a delicacy that emphasizes the depth of the meaning behind the song. The light instrumentation also allows McBride’s powerful vocals to radiate throughout the wonderfully contemplative track.

 

Markus’ Pick: “Let it Be Christmas” performed by Alan Jackson

What was already a charming, festive tune, is elevated to timeless classic status by Jackson’s warm vocal performance. Jackson’s welcoming vocal encompasses a lyric that paints a beautiful picture of the season by describing everything that makes Christmas such a wonderful time of year. Another aspect that makes “Let it Be Christmas” such a wonderful song is the fact that it’s universal. It doesn’t delve too deeply into the potentially controversial religious side of things, but keeps it firmly planted within the theme of togetherness. Paired with a gorgeous production and a poignant melody, “Let it Be Christmas” is without a doubt one of the best songs of Alan Jackson’s decorated career, and is not only the best country Christmas song out there, but one of the best country songs period.