I am delighted to announce that my Christmas album,
Wintertide, is now available to pre-order.
- - Pre-order your copy of Wintertide today! (Orders ship out in November) - -
I loved putting this album together, and during the upcoming weeks, I'd like to invite you behind the songs and behind the scenes of the album to share in the stories.
How 'bout we call it... The 12 Days of Wintertide.
In fact, let's start right here with a conversation about three of the cover songs on the album.
Day 1
Back at the very beginning of all the album planning (over a year ago), I enjoyed stepping into the grand library of Christmas songs--pulling familiar titles and unknowns from the shelves. I know this will be no great shock, but... there are so many great Christmas songs! And I enjoyed the searching. On all my jotted lists of cover song possibilities, these three were always included:
"Song for a Winter's Night" by Gordon Lightfoot
"Wintersong" by Sarah McLachlan and Pierre Marchand
and "Aspenglow" by John Denver
I sing these songs every December, and I listen to them every December. The writing is absolutely beautiful, and I hope to write painterly ballads like these. "Song for a Winter's Night" and "Aspenglow" are among the songs of my childhood, making them good old friends. Written by two of my all-time favorite artists, I can't recall a time I didn't know them. (My Decembers wouldn't be complete without 'em.)
In 2006, I remember when Sarah McLachlan released her Christmas record. Her album was playing in our house on a continuous loop that winter. It was playing during our Saturday morning chores, while we played board games in the living room, while we did the dishes after dinner, while we set up the tree and laid out the stockings... In my thousands of listenings, "Wintersong" is easily my favorite song on her album. It was my favorite then, and it's my favorite still. (And it breaks my heart every time.)
Choosing to include these three on Wintertide was a very easy decision.
They're familiar, favorite Christmas songs of mine, but I also know they'll be brand new to some of you. Which I love. I love hearing "I've never heard that one before!" or "who wrote that?". It is such an honor to introduce my favorites written by my favorites.
All the love,
Brittany