November 19, 2021—Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Lori McKenna‘s debut holiday EP, Christmas Is Right Here, is out today. Stream/purchase HERE.
Produced by McKenna along with Luke Laird and Barry Dean, the six-song release features five new original holiday songs as well as a version of Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.” Of the project, McKenna shares, “It was such a joy making this holiday music with my Nashville family of co-writers, musicians and friends. I feel like we hit on some of the emotions that come with the holidays—the easy feelings and the harder ones. It seems impossible for me to talk or sing about the holidays without going back in time and I feel so blessed to have the music to come back with me.”
The new release continues a series of landmark years for McKenna following three widely acclaimed albums—2020’s The Balladeer, 2018’s The Tree and 2016’s The Bird & The Rifle. Of her most recent album, the Associated Press praised, “McKenna has by now long established herself as one of the best songwriters working in any genre. And she does it again and again,” while The Tennessean asserted, “one of the sharpest pens in modern country and folk songwriting.” Additionally, The Tree was nominated for “Album of the Year” at the 2019 Americana Music Awards and landed on several best-of lists including Entertainment Weekly, Paste, Slate, The A.V. Club, The Washington Post and Rolling Stone, who declared, “another batch of pristine compositions…the singer-songwriter has established herself as not only one of country music’s most respected songwriters…but more importantly one of its most poignant storytellers.” Moreover, the Grammy-nominated The Bird & The Rifle was named one of the best albums of the year by NPR Music’s Ann Powers who lauded, “puts her careworn, reaching alto up front, wrapping the transcendent earnestness of classic rock within the resilient uplift of soul, shot through with the plainspoken heartache of country.”
CHRISTMAS IS RIGHT HERE TRACKLIST
1. Wonderful Christmastime (written by Paul McCartney)
2. Christmas Without Crying (written by Lori McKenna, Luke Laird, Barry Dean)
3. North Pole (written by Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose)
4. Still Christmas In Nashville (written by Lori McKenna, Dustin Christensen,
Jordyn Shellhart)
5. Hail Mary (written by Lori McKenna, Luke Laird, Barry Dean)
6. Grateful (written by Lori McKenna)
