
The Claire Lynch Band is working on a holiday CD that will be released later this year.
The project, which mixes winter songs with Christmas numbers and one Hanukkah tune, will be released on Claire’s own label, at least initially, between CDs for Compass Records.
Some of the material has already been tracked and at least one of the songs – Snow Day – has had test drives before a couple of audiences. The song is performed as a duet by Claire and band mate Bryan McDowell. She introduced the song Monday night at a show in D.C. suburbs by saying that while recording the CD, “We discovered Bryan sings like Dean Martin.” The song went over so well that the band performed it live the next morning while visiting with Katy Daley on WAMU’s Bluegrasss Country.
While putting the finishing touches on the holiday project, the band is also working up material for its next recording for Compass.
“We’re going to do a swing album,” Claire told me after Monday night’s show. “We promised our fans and we’re going to do it.”
If she had her druthers, she’d record a double-disc set, one of swing tunes and one of bluegrass, allowing the reigning IBMA female vocalist of the year to build on the momentum of the band’s current project, Dear Sister. But that’s a non-starter in this economy, so she’ll do swing tunes first and then come back with a bluegrass recording as a follow-up release.