NEW YORK, NY (Rykodisc) - This holiday season Rykodisc will release "Happy Holidays" by acclaimed country music artists (and husband and wife)
Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison. The 11-song album features such holiday standards as "Santa Baby," "
Baby, It's Cold Outside" and "Have Yourself A Merry
Little Christmas," all stamped with a dash of authentic country twang.
A stand-out track on "Happy Holidays" is the tender and emotionally affecting country/folk ballad "A Winter's Tale," written by the esteemed singer/poet R.B. Morris. Of course a true country holiday album wouldn't be right without a touch of humor, as evident on "Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy" and Bruce Robison's own "Oklahoma Christmas," about accidentally slipping out the occasional "Oh Lord," and "Jesus Christ," while gathered around the family Christmas dinner table.
Kelly Willis has been described as a modern-day, traditional country singer/songwriter who is not afraid to play by her own rules, earning her much critical acclaim throughout her expansive career. She has a sincerity to her singing that has been awarded significant praise from the press. Initially signed to MCA in the 1990s, Kelly inked a deal with Rykodisc in 1999 and subsequently released "What I Deserve," her long-overdue breakthrough hit that Time Magazine hailed as "the smartest, most worthwhile country CD" released that year. In 2002 Kelly returned with "Easy," where she collaborated with music heavyweights Vince Gill, Union Station's Dan Tyminski, and Nickel Creek's Chris Thile. Kelly is currently in the studio recording her newest album to be released in 2007.
Bruce Robison has been described by Billboard Magazine as "one of the best of a new breed of singer/songwriters in Texas and beyond." A highly regarded songwriter, Bruce's songs have been recorded by some of country's biggest stars. His song "Travelin' Soldier" became a No. 1 hit for the Dixie Chicks and his song "Angry All The Time" topped the charts as a duet by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Other artists that have recorded his songs include George Strait, which spawned the Top 10 hit "Desperately," Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan, and Allison Moorer.
Track Listing for "Happy Holidays":
1. Santa Baby
2. A Winter's Tale
3. In The Bleak Midwinter
4. Baby, It's Cold Outside
5. Christmas Waltz
6. Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk
7. Blue Christmas
8. Shut In At Christmas
9. Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy
10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
11. Oklahoma Christmas
