Melissa Carper, has earned the nickname "Hillbilly Holiday" for her distinctive blend of old time jazz and traditional country music.
Her new album A Very Carper Christmas carries that style into a fresh batch of holiday tunes with a sound that dates back to when many of the classics were written. It kicks off with a humorous, modern take on going out to get a tree — Plug in the Tree is about climbing up into the attic to find the artificial tree.
Her love for animals is evident in I Want a Dog for Christmas, and Cats in the Christmas Tree.
Cruisin' in Santa's Sleigh, my favorite track, is a fun, upbeat, soulful tune about flying around the world with Santa on Christmas Eve.
Just one Stocking is a heartbreak song about being alone at a Waffle House on Christmas.
Carper even puts her spin on two classics All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, and Please Come Home for Christmas.
Good holiday songs are rare. There's a reason that only a couple dozen have withstood the test of time and keep being recorded over and over again. It's a genre heavy on schmaltz. Like Hallmark movies, they rely on tried and true formats that rarely push boundaries. Carper checks all those boxes - trees, family, food, friends, loneliness - but her authenticity, relatable songwriting, and vintage style gives these old themes new life.
Hear A Very Carper Christmas during the holiday season on Open Air, weekdays 9am-3pm.
