Alt Country Christmas

Guestpost! Mr Ton 'T55' Ensing himself, who delights us since a few years with his blogs on Americana-tinged country, lines up the recent countryfied Xmas releases of note:

The new single by Portland’s finest, The Delines, is called 'Christmas in Atlantis', and it’s vintage Delines. Great lyrics, a short xmas story by the great Willy Vlautin, sung by the exquisite Amy Boone. The family gathering around the christmas tree is getting out of hand before it even starts as the main characters arrive at the scene. An uncle in his tidy whities screaming at the tele, a nephew playing Grand Theft Auto in the basement, niece showing pictures of herself naked in a TripleX-way, making money without a proper education. Time to hit the streets in Atlantis and win some money in the casino!

Then there’s Grey DeLisle. The legendary country singer-songwriter and the voice of some 1500 cartoons, released some twentysomething singles this year. Most of them turned up on 'She’s An Angel', her first solorecord with original music in almost twenty years. An album full of old skool seventies style country songs. The first new track since the release of the album is an orginal christmas tune called 'Don't Make Her Christmas Wish Come True'. It’s not the first xmas tune she recorded - Santa’s On a Diet and a great cover of the traditional O Holy Night - spring to mind. She recorded the new tune with cowpunk/rockabilly star Rosie Flores. A cute little ballad about the man that might become the christmas present for either one of the singers.

Grey Delisle · Don't Make Her Christmas Wish Come True

Last up: hillbilly Martha Spencer. She takes a more traditional vaudevillian approach with her 'Cherry Street Christmas'. Bring on the brass and the honky tonk piano. Short, sweet, wham bam thank you ma'am.