POLL: What’s Your Favorite Christmas Album of 2014?
The tree is lit, sugar cookies are being decorated, and Santa and his sleigh are getting ready to descend from the North Pole. Christmas is right around the corner, and with the holiday comes a slew of Christmas releases from some of your favorite country singers.
A wide range of artists released some great, brand-new holiday listening choices this year. Darius Rucker gave us 'Home for the Holidays,' his first-ever Christmas offering and "a lifelong dream," which includes a duet of 'Baby It's Cold Outside' with Sheryl Crow. Sara Evans also dropped her first Christmas record, 'At Christmas,' featuring 10 of her favorite carols.
Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris and Dwight Yoakam contributed to 'An Americana Christmas' along with several other Americana and folk artists of the past and present. Family band the Henningsens' 'Our Family Christmas' included a brand-new tune, 'Christmas Kissin',' written by brother Aaron and featuring guest vocals from Jerrod Niemann. And Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus helped the 'Nashville' cast by producing 'Christmas With Nashville,' and DeMarcus admits he was blown away by their talent.
The Robert Earl Keen Band, also known as the Xmas Men for this record, released 'Santa Is Real,' which boasts 12 tracks of instrumental holiday music. Christian artist Michael W. Smith is well-known for his Christmas offerings, and 'The Spirit of Christmas' features powerhouse vocalist and country star Carrie Underwood, along with many other country artists. Of course, we can't forget Jamey Johnson's 'The Christmas Song' EP -- just the first bit of new music the artist has planned.
Country group Shenandoah, recently reunited with lead singer Marty Raybon, revealed a six-track Christmas EP called 'Christmas Comes Alive;' the Roys' 'Bluegrass Kinda Christmas' includes classics and new tunes; and LeAnn Rimes announced 'One Christmas -- Chapter 1' -- the first of three holiday albums the songstress will issue. Last, but certainly not least, Kenny Chesney gave fans a taste of Christmas with a single, 'Christmas in Blue Chair Bay,' and Niemann offered up his own holiday treat, a version of 'Holly Jolly Christmas.'
Whew ... That's quite a list of Christmas albums! Which of these new releases is your favorite Christmas album of 2014? Vote below as often as once an hour, and if you don’t see your favorite here, let us know in the comments section.