Hill Country Christmas (1997)

This 1997 Christmas album opens with “El Nino,” a Willie-penned, flamenco-inflected Christmas tune. The guitar-work and lyrics are equally haunting:

He is born, there’s a reason now to carry on.
Toot your horns, write another song.
Love is here, seated at your table now,
Not living in a stable now,
Love is here.

So let us sing, let us sing.
Love is king, love is king.

The spare accompaniment of Bobbie on piano and Freddy Fletcher on drums succeeds until the horns and back-up vocals kick in. The lyrics have a very gritty, incarnational feel. Love is raw, dirty, present. And love is king. An interesting contrast to so many of Willie’s other songs about love. Willie sings “Away in a Manger” straight up with just guitar and piano. It will be neat to listen to this side-by-side with the version on Pretty Paper. “Joy to the World” is another unremarkable but pleasingly spare version (this one featuring just piano and vocals, no guitar). The vocals are as clear and front and center as you will ever hear on any Willie album. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” adds a little guitar, but generally fits the pattern of the previous two tracks. Listening to Christmas songs the week before Easter is perhaps a bit odd, but I kind of like it. It almost seems fresher when you listen to them out of season without all the other trappings of the season competing for your attention. On “Here Comes Santa Claus,” Willie sings along with an overdubbed track of Gene Autry. It’s a little hokey, but it is interesting to hear Willie’s voice side-by-side with one of his most important mentors. I don’t think this version of “Pretty Paper” holds up to the more famous version, but this one is worth owning. It has its own unique charms. This one has no piano, just solo acoustic. This almost takes you back to the demo sessions. Just Willie and his guitar and a mike. “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” features guitar and piano. This version of “Silent Night” is pleasingly stark. Overall, this album is quite refreshingly under-produced. It’s just about as naked as you will get Willie these days. And as with Pretty Paper, Willie sings these songs like he means them. He seems to believe them. “Deck the Halls” is no exception. Willie doesn’t take many risks on these tunes. He’s not trying to sing behind the beat or meander in new and unexpected ways. This is a chance to hear Willie sing as straight up as he ever sings. “White Christmas” may be my favorite track on this album. Maybe it’s just because it’s one of my favorite Christmas songs, but Willie seems to hit this one with a little extra dose of sincerity. “El Nino” is probably my other favorite from this album. Willie ends this album with an instrumental reprise of the haunting opening tune. A nice touch that brings a pleasing sense of closure to the album. This one doesn’t quite make my untenable top ten, but it’s darn close. It gets honorable mention. I’m fond of it and will return to it with pleasure over the years, and not just at Christmas time.