Brad Paisley Releases Christmas Album

Brad Paisley Photo Courtesy of Arista Records

September 27, 2006--Brad Paisley will release his first-ever holiday CD, Brad Paisley Christmas, on October 10. The reigning ACM Album of the Year award winner has made a career of embracing his love for tradition while creating music in a fashion distinctly his own. The 11-track collection delivers what Brad does best--musically blending heart and humor, this time amid new holiday songs and traditional favorites stamped with Brad’s ever-stellar guitar work and arrangements done in Brad's holiday style.

Classics like "Winter Wonderland," "Silver Bells," and "I’ll Be Home for Christmas" join a quartet of Brad-penned originals, including the warmly wistful "364 Days to Go," co-written with Kevin Marcy. Brad teamed with album producer Frank Rogers to write the lighthearted, Santa’s-secret-agent tale of "Penguin, James Penguin" as well as "Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday"--a laugh-out-loud return of the Kung Pao Buckaroos (Bill Anderson, George Jones, and Little Jimmy Dickens) in a wink, wink exploration of holiday political correctness gone woefully awry.

Another album highlight comes in the form of a 13-year-old Brad making his first official appearance on the legendary Jamboree U.S.A., as he sang "Born on Christmas Day," a song he had written by himself at the time. Original audio of that performance mixes with Brad today to create a charming track.

The Grand Ole Opry star’s longtime hero, the late Buck Owens, earns a rousing, guitar-fueled tribute on "Santa Looked a Lot like Daddy," the Christmastime favorite Buck co-wrote with Don Rich. The album’s fun and dynamic musicianship is also center stage for an instrumental version of "Jingle Bells," one of three tracks sporting new Paisley/Rogers arrangements, alongside classics "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger."

Brad Paisley Christmas is the West Virginian’s fifth album, following the success of four back-to-back platinum-plus discs, with total sales in excess of seven million units. A five-time CMA award winner, Brad is currently the most-nominated solo artist for this year’s awards, with six nominations, including Single, Musical Event, Music Video, Album, Male Vocalist, and Entertainer of the Year.