Rodney Crowell has a new Christmas album out today on New West: Christmas Everywhere. Facetious is the name of the game in Christmas Everywhere. If you need to arm yourself with a dose of reality in your holiday music, and you know you do, this one’s for you. From the season starting in August, to the straight-up plea to just “Let’s Skip Christmas This Year (“with the money we save we can just disappear before we both die of cheer”), Crowell delivers a tongue in cheek assessment of this part of our shared culture experience.
“Clement’s Lament (We’ll See You In The Mall): “we won’t bother with the truth when those we love are near… the season starts in August now, we’ll see you in the mall.” The title track “Christmas Everywhere” features Lera Lynn on vocals toward the end with “traffic backed up miles or more.” “Christmas in Vidor” — 88 degrees, with his lawnmower dying — features Mary Karr dripping with a sardonic tale: “ain’t it a bitch?… leave me alone,” in a song that captures the heart of the situation.
“Christmas Makes Me Sad,” (“blue, and lonely without you”) is another brutally honest depiction of the experience so many of us have of spending their “silent night” alone; similar sentiments are expressed on “Merry Christmas (From an Empty Bed),” with Brennan Leigh. Vince Gill plays on “Very Merry Christmas” and it’s music to the ears, literally.
“All For Little Girls and Boys,” seals the album’s deal with a children’s chorus.
Get your copy here: https://www.rodneycrowell.com/