Lateral Blue has made a lot of noise in Nashville with their use of the traditional format of the bluegrass ensemble to perform and record more contemporary and progressive music. Their debut album, Go Your Own Way: A Bluegrass Tribute to the ’70s, showed their dexterity with both the music of an age before any of them were born, and with their instruments and the bluegrass style as it has come to them.
Now for the 2019 holidays, the band has a new project on offer. This Christmas: A Progressive Bluegrass Holiday Collection combines seasonal instrumental and vocal music from all across the spectrum, including recent popular songs along with ancient carols. Not only is Lateral Blue adept at picking the grass, they boast a number of first rate singers as well in Caleb Edwards, who plays mandolin, Kori Caswell on bass, and Laura Epling on fiddle. Kyle Lee completes the group on banjo, and Justin Moses plays as a guest on reso-guitar.
You can get a feel of their approach on this music video for This Christmas, the band’s cover of Donnie Hathaway’s 1970 holiday hit, well on its way to becoming one of the most covered Christmas pop songs.
Other tracks on This Christmas include perennial favorites like Sleigh Ride, Joy To The World, The Christmas Song, Winter Wonderland, and several others. Highlights consist of a remake of Joni Mitchell’s River and a lush reading of I’ll Be Home For Christmas.
This Christmas is available now wherever you stream or download music online.
