Texas Hill just dropped Christmas Carols Vol. 2, continuing their holiday tradition they started last year, this time with four new songs. The group, made up of Craig Wayne Boyd, Adam Wakefield and Casey James, added four songs on their new collection, including “Up On The Housetop,” one of the trio’s favorites.
“It’s not very often that a song happens this way,” James says of the song. “Adam and I were discussing some thoughts on how to approach the song, and at some point someone said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we did this the way it might have been done 50 years ago.’ We both grabbed our slides, and Adam hit the record button. We were so excited to play some bluesy slide-type stuff – we didn’t think to talk through the arrangement before we started, and ended up just winging it.
“Somehow we managed to get through it, and immediately after the first take, Adam looked up and said, ‘’That’s it, we did it,'” he adds. “It’s not perfect, and that’s exactly what makes it perfect to us.”
Christmas Carols Vol. 2 also includes “Jingle Bells,” “I Saw Three Ships” and the hymn “Children Go.” Texas Hill will get plenty of chances to perform their songs, while crossing the country with Home Free on their Home Free Family Christmas Tour. Texas Hill joined Home Free for “Go Tell It On the Mountain” last year. They also got a chance to perform a few shows with the all-vocal group in 2021, which is why they are even more eager to spend time with them this holiday season.
“The crowd was phenomenal,” James told Everything Nash after Texas Hill’s first performance on the road with Home Free last year. “It was a packed place. [The fans] were there early, so we pretty much had a full room to play for. And I have really never seen anybody be as kind as they were all day to us, in all regards, just truly sharing the stage with us in a way that we all really appreciated, and the crowd. Really got it. They brought us back out at the end of the night. We did that song together that we’re going to be doing very soon.
“The whole evening, the whole day really, was just really great,” he continued. “I think I said thank you to everybody about ten times. And I really meant it, because things aren’t always that easy when you have two different camps put in the same area. A lot of times people are too cool for school, and there’s egos and attitudes. And there was really none of that. it was one of the most enjoyable times. I’ve had in a very long time in terms of playing shows with folks.”
The inaugural Christmas Carols EP included “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” “What Child Is This,” “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” and “We Three Kings.” Listen to Christmas Carols Vol. 2 here. Find all of Texas Hill’s music, including their debut Heaven Down Here album, and tour dates at TexasHillOfficial.com.
