So far this year, notable country acts have interpreted a mix of old favorites and new material, with each recording playing off familiar themes of faith and family.
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This year's offerings range from Jason Aldean's cover of an all-time country Christmas classic to a Deana Carter and Phil Vassar original that plays out like the storyline of a Hallmark movie.
Here's the best new Christmas songs by country acts released so far in 2022. This isn't a complete list by any means, considering that more holiday tunes will likely hit streaming services before late December.
"Christmas in Dixie," Jason Aldean
Aldean adds his own guitar-slinging spin to a country staple he surely heard nonstop during childhood holidays in Georgia.
Beyond being a solid rendition of a truly great song, this one hits harder following the recent death of Alabama co-founder Jeff Cook. The guitarist and virtuoso fiddler shared songwriting credit for "Christmas in Dixie" with the rest of the band: drummer Mark Herndon and Cook's cousins, Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen.
Listen here.
"Christmas for One," Cody Belew
Rising star Belew sings this pensive, piano-based original for all the lonely hearts wrestling with loneliness while trying to make the best of what's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.
"When I originally wrote this song I was actually living through it," Belew shared in a press release. "It seems like a trivial thing, but Christmas is all about the traditions we create and keep. When you're suddenly faced with the thought of dragging out all of those decorations and putting them up for no one but yourself to look at, it can feel like, 'what's the point?' I know that I'm not alone in feeling that way and that many will go through it this year. So this one's for them."
It's made even more brooding by a brand-new music video. Listen here.
"Coming Home for Christmas," Deana Carter and Phil Vassar
Adkins Publicity
Carter and Vassar co-wrote this dream duet with the prolific Steve Dorff (George Strait's "I Cross My Heart," Kenny Rogers' "Through the Years"). It's nearly four minutes of tenderness about spending the holidays with family or a significant other.
In addition, the duo collaborated on another seasonally-appropriate song: the equally sentimental "Brand New Year." Both precede the Nov. 25 launch of Vassar's Coming Home for Christmas tour.
Listen here.
"Lovin' Little Christmas Night," Exile
Curtis Graham/Grey House Films
The swinging vibes and smooth harmonies that've set Exile apart for going on 60 years define the band's addition to 2022's country Christmas songbook.
Band members JP Pennington and Sonny LeMaire co-wrote it with veteran country wordsmith Sharon Vaughn ("My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys").
"'Lovin' Little Christmas Night' was written in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic with the hope of more joyous times to come," read a joint statement from the band. "It certainly gave us writers that hope and we are thrilled to share this hope and joy with our fans old and new."
Listen here.
"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," Caylee Hammack
A rock-pop benchmark from 1963's A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" has since been covered by acts ranging from Mariah Carey to Joey Ramone. It suits country singers, as well, based on Hammack's upbeat take on a song about a first Christmas without an old flame.
It follows Hammack's stellar 2021 version of Dolly Parton's "Hard Candy Christmas."
Listen here.
"Santa Train," Paige King Johnson
Johnson's cover of Loveless' festive, fast-driving "Santa Train" --a selection first heard on 2002's stellar Bluegrass & White Snow, a Mountain Christmas-- thoroughly captures the spirit of an Appalachian Christmas.
"Patty Loveless' voice has always been a favorite of mine and 'Santa Train' has always been at the top of my Christmas playlist," Johnson shared in a press release. "I'm so glad to be releasing my own rendition. This version of the great bluegrass "Santa Train" has all the energy and joy that Christmas brings for me, and I hope it brings that to everyone who listens."
Listen here.
"O Holy Night," Erin Kinsey
Breakout TikTok star Kinsey accepted the challenge of singing the most vocally daunting holiday hymn and passed it with flying colors. By pulling off a song that only country singers the caliber of Carrie Underwood, Sara Evans and Martina McBride have done justice, Kinsey further solidified that she's among the most promising young talents in Nashville.
In a TikTok video, Kinsey wrote that she chose the song because "I'm one of the people who turns on Hallmark Nov. 1."
Listen here.
"I Only Want You for Christmas," Jon Langston
Langston continued the recent influx of '90s country homages with an Alan Jackson cover that's true to that era's honky-tonk leanings. Aside from upping the rock factor and cutting the western swing-style fiddling, Langston doesn't stray far from the sound of Jackson's carnal Christmas wish.
"I love Christmas, I love Christmas music and I love Alan Jackson, so why not release my version of 'I Only Want You For Christmas'?" Langston shared in a press release. "I hope y'all love it and get in the spirit. It's the greatest time of the year."
Listen here.
"An Old Fashioned Christmas," Daryl Mosley
Patty Lindley
A Tennessee native and award-winning songwriter, Mosley longs for the kinds of Christmases he remembers from childhood on this acoustic slice of traditional bluegrass.
"One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the nostalgic aspect of it all. Many of us look forward every year to hearing those classic songs, exchanging gifts, and honoring family traditions," he shared in a press release. "This song is a celebration of all of those things. We tried to capture those warm and fuzzy, Norman Rockwell kind of emotions that Christmas brings about."
The Mosley and Rick Lang co-write features Sister Sadie's Jaelee Roberts on harmony vocals and the Grascals' Danny Roberts as Mosley's co-producer.
Listen here.
"Silver Bells," Jamie O'Neal and Collin Raye
On "Silver Bells," the blending of O'Neal's soaring, jazzy vocals and Raye's warm, smooth tenor voice equals more than a standard take on a Christmas standard.
It's from O'Neal's first holiday album, Spirit & Joy, which was released on Oct. 21. The collection is a mix of outside-the-box choices (Joni Mitchell's "The River") and sentimental favorites ("White Christmas").
Listen here.
"Holly Jolly Christmas," Blake Shelton
For the new Super Deluxe expansion of his gold-certified 2012 album Cheers, It's Christmas, Shelton recorded a cozy rendition of "Holly Jolly Christmas." It points back to orchestral country gems of old while maintaining the yuletide charm of Burl Ives' iconic 1964 version.
The Super Deluxe edition also adds Shelton's take on "Up on the House Top" plus "Cheer for the Elves," a song co-written and first recorded by Gwen Stefani for her 2017 album You Make It Feel Like Christmas.
Listen here.
"Meet Me Under the Mistletoe," Hailey Whitters
Harper Smith
Whitters hat-tipped Christmas and country traditions by releasing two songs associated with all-time greats: Randy Travis' "Meet Me Under the Mistletoe" and George Jones' "New Baby for Christmas." Both remind the Iowa native of a childhood spent celebrating holidays with loved ones.
"Every Christmas Eve since I can remember we've always gone to my Aunt Tina's house and sung christmas songs on her living room floor around the Christmas tree waiting for Santa to arrive," Whitters shared in a press release. "Everyone brings a covered dish and drinks lots of red wine and doesn't care how out of tune they may be, we all just sing together. It's something I look forward to every year and are some of my most cherished memories. I wanted to record songs that captured the warmth and nostalgia of this holiday for me, and celebrates getting to be with the people I love."
Listen to both here.
"Happy Holiday With Me," O.N.E. the Duo
O.N.E. the Duo gifted listeners this year with three-song holiday EP O.N.E. Very Merry Christmas. The mother-daughter team of Tekitha and Prana Supreme Diggs are among the co-writers --along with Nash Overstreet and Shane Stevens-- of opening track "Happy Holidays With Me." It's followed by covers of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Sleigh Ride." As fans of the group have come to expect, each song melds musical styles while showcasing tight blood harmonies. They're all sweetened by elite-level country fiddling that lends a throwback appeal to lyrics dripping in nostalgia.
Listen to the entire EP here.
