Brett Eldredge is going back to his musical roots for his next album, an as-yet-untitled Christmas collection to be released this fall. Recorded in New York at the historic Avatar Studios, the LP will have a big band and swing sound.
“This is really exciting for me, because a lot of people don’t know that I grew up singing Sinatra-type music,” the singer tells Rolling Stone Country. “So it was a dream come true to live in New York for a week, walk to the studio down the street and really get in the vibe of this swinging Christmas music world.”
The country star worked with a whole new crop of collaborators on the LP. It was produced by Rob Mounsey (Elton John, Michael Bublé) and Jay Newland (Etta James, Paul Simon), and the list of musician credits is a who’s who from the rock and pop recording worlds. Eldredge is backed on the album by guys who’ve played for superstars including Sting, Prince, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney.
“There was a huge orchestra waiting for me when I got there,” he recalls, “and I was pouring the whiskey! I wore a suit to work; I love that people used to do that. We just lived it up. It was the most magical thing I’ve ever been a part of in the studio.”
Eldredge’s Christmas album will feature a list of holiday standards that he chose based on “what songs make me feel that warm, safe feeling that Christmas gives me,” he explains. It will also include an original song called “Glow.” He gives a sneak peek of the album in the video posted below.
With the Christmas LP wrapped, the CMA award-winning vocalist is now looking to his third country album, the followup to 2015’s Illinois, which has charted two Number One singles (so far). He’s spending his rare days off from the road writing for the new project.
“I’m in a cool music spot right now where I feel very inspired,” Eldredge reports. “Sometimes you hit a wall, and I’ve hit plenty in my life. But I feel like I’m flying down the highway, hands out the window right now. I have a lot more things to say; I’m just getting started.”
Eldredge is crossing the country this summer with Keith Urban and Maren Morris on the Ripcord world tour. He also recently co-headlined a Bud Light Party Convention with Jason Derulo.
“I could sell Bud Light all day long and play music all day long, so it was an easy yes from me,” Eldredge says of his invitation to play one of the tour’s 13 stops. “It was a hot day in Dallas, and people were sweating right along with me and I was passing Bud Lights out into the crowd.”
– Rolling Stone
