Tracy Lawrence readies first Christmas disc

"As much as I love the holidays, it's hard to believe I've never recorded a Christmas album," said Lawrence. "I love everything about the holidays from shopping for presents to decorating the house with my family. Christmas is huge with the Lawrence household. Before heading into the studio, I had each of my daughters select one song for the project. Skylar chose 'Here Comes Santa Claus' and Keagan selected 'Frosty The Snowman.'"

Lawrence and his co-producer Julian King brought a blend of country, jazz and classic pop elements together. "I've been dreaming of recording a Christmas CD for many, many years," he said. "I've just been waiting for the timing to be right. I looked for songs that were warm as well as fun, and challenging to sing. We pulled the best from all three music traditions."

The disc features a mixture of seasonal classics with three new songs. Classics include "White Christmas," "Let It Snow," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland." The new numbers are "Something In The Air," "Cold Beer" and the title cut.

"I really hope this CD will put people in the spirit of the season," said Lawrence. "It's a collection of songs that I hand-selected to share with my fans, and I hope it will become a favorite part of their seasonal traditions."

The project was recorded during some of the summer's hottest days. "It was nearly 100 degrees outside when we were recording," he said. "To set the mood, we put up a Christmas tree in the studio, hung stockings filled with candy on all of the musicians' mic stands, strung up some twinkling lights and prepared for a make-believe snow storm. For the moment it felt like Christmas - at least until we broke for lunch and walked outside."