For his first Christmas album, Aaron Watson enlisted some very important collaborators. His recently released An Aaron Watson Family Christmas features his wife, Kimberly, and three children -- Jake, Jack and Jolee Kate. The Texas artist said the album was a long time coming.
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"For the last four or five years, my fans have been harassing me for a Christmas record and I just had a hard time getting around to it. Finally we were like we need to do this," Watson tells Wide Open Country.
Watson said the family decided to cancel their summer vacation to stay home and record the album. It was the perfect opportunity to make a Christmas album and -- even though it was the middle of summer in Texas -- Watson says the family had no trouble getting into the holiday spirit.
"We'd be out there swimming around listening to Christmas music and I cooked out everyday," Watson says. "I decorated the inside of my wife's closet with Christmas lights and I set up my microphone and all my recording equipment. When it got so hot outside we'd just come in and sing Christmas songs. So, we made a Christmas record in June in Texas -- 100 degrees outside."
"I think if I had been making a Christmas record by myself, it would have been hard for me to focus on Christmas music in June," Watson continued. "But because the entire family was involved, it was so much fun. It was nice finding that mixture of songs."
In addition to eight holiday classics, including "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "Silent Night" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," the album also includes two original songs: "Lonely Lone Star Christmas" and "She Stared at Him All Night."
Watson penned "Lonely Lone Star Christmas," which he said was inspired by the Sinatra Christmas albums he grew up listening to with his parents.
"I was pretending that I was writing a song for (Michael) Bublé or Sinatra or Dean Martin," Watson says. "I didn't want to make this cliche country Christmas record. I described it as kind of like Sinatra with cowboy boots. I wanted it to have that jazzy feel about it."
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"She Stared at Him All Night," written by singer-songwriter Drew Womack, is a gorgeous tune about the birth of Jesus.
Watson says the album is particularly special for him because it captures a moment in time with this children.
"It was such a sweet experience and kind of like a time capsule for me personally. I know years from now I'll hear this record and probably cry like a little baby," Watson says. "Because as much as I enjoy watching my children grow, there's a part of me that grieves over how quickly they're growing up."
An Aaron Watson Family Christmas is available here.
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