SINGLE RELEASE

The last time Chris Jones and The Night Drivers recorded a Christmas song, the year was 2010 and Jones’ co-writers on the downhome original, “Kentucky Noel,” were his long-time friends, the legendary Tom T. and Miss Dixie Hall. Now, at a time when the feeling of community that family and old songs alike can create seem more important than ever, it’s no surprise that this time around, Jones brings his singer-songwriter wife, Sally, into the studio to join him in new versions of two traditional songs to herald the season.

“In the Bleak Midwinter” and “Rise Up Shepherd and Follow” offer luminous readings delivered in Jones’ restrained yet evocative style, backed by Night Drivers Mark Stoffel (mandolin), Grace van’t Hof (ukulele) and Marshall Wilborn (upright bass), along with guests Tony Creasman (percussion) and long-time friend and musical associate April Verch (fiddle, “In the Bleak Midwinter”). Each selection, whether it’s the poetic, contemplative former “Midwinter” or the gently swinging “Rise Up Shepherd,” gets a classic Night Drivers treatment—tasteful, yet infused with a quiet energy that demands the listener’s attention from the first note to the last.

“This is a song I’ve been listening to and singing along with since I was a kid,” Jones says of “Rise Up Shepherd.” “I first heard it on a record by Odetta; I was probably five years old at the time. In spite of that long history with the song, I’d never performed it until a couple of Christmases ago. Marshall Wilborn is well-known for his traditional bluegrass bass playing but he doesn’t always get credit for his versatility as a bass player. He shows that versatility in his lead work on this recording.”

And of “In the Bleak Midwinter,” he notes: “This is a 19th century poem by Christina Rossetti set to a traditional melody. I learned a harmony part to it while caroling when I was 11 years old. I’ve always loved it and had so much fun recording it.”