Due for release on October 8, 'King Size Manger' will feature traditional carols as well as original songs, and has the 'Your Man' crooner's wife and four sons contributing to one festive classic.
- Sep 4, 2021
AceShowbiz - Country singer Josh Turner is planning his first Christmas album and he'll hit the road to support it.
"King Size Manger", due for release on October 8, will feature traditional carols, including "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Silent Night, Holy Night", as well as original songs.
The record is a family affair, according to "The Long Black Train" singer, whose wife Jennifer Ford and four sons will all contribute to festive classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".
"Making a Christmas record can be a mighty daunting task for an artist," Turner shares in a press release. "There are so many songs to choose from and there've been so many versions of those songs throughout history. It can be intimidating to know whether you'll be able to measure up to what's already been done."
"We had a lot of fun throwing out all the preconceived notions of what a Christmas record should sound like."
Musicians Rhonda Vincent and Pat McLaughlin also appear on the record.
Josh's 16-city "Holiday & the Hits Tour" will kick off on November 18 in Holland, Michigan, and wrap up at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 20.
And Josh's not the first name to jump into the Christmas release market - Matchbox 20 lead singer Rob Thomas also recently announced he's working on a holiday album with country star Brad Paisley and gospel great BeBe Winans, which he says will hit stores "sometime this autumn."
About the upcoming effort, Thomas told Rolling Stone, "It's something I've always kind of wanted to do." He added, "But I didn't think anybody needs to hear me sing 'Jingle Bells'. You know, nobody needs to hear anybody honestly sing 'Jingle Bells' again. But I think I managed to pick some really cool covers, so I think it's got its own original sound."
