Crossover country and southern pop recording artist, and U.S. Army veteran and Music Spotlight artist, Brei Carter just can’t wait to usher in the holiday season with her new seven-song debut Christmas EP, Twinkling Tales of Christmas. Known for having a festive and vivacious personality year-round, Carter’s new EP is a multi-faceted genre-hopping collection of originals that draws upon her established country, southern pop, soul, and R&B musical influences.
And while many cling to the cherished Christmas carols on which we were raised, at one time, each of those familiar favorites had their debut.
Written alongside Nashville hitmaker, Corey Lee Barker, (also known as Mr. Christmas) and spotlight artists Lucas Hoge and Ava Paige, Carter brings us seven new tunes that you will want to play over and over again.
Carter said of Barker, “He's a beast when it comes to writing Christmas music.” She was thrilled with the opportunity to work with him.
Many artists put out Christmas albums (they are big sellers) and may even include an original tune or two, but few are brave enough to make an entirely new record of Christmas songs.
But Carter was like, "Can we create some new traditions? Can we give a little bit more? The wonderful thing is that music goes on and on. But I think it's good to add a little bit of new in there from time to time and create more experiences and memories with newer music.”
She continued, "There’s just something magical about the Christmas season. With the sparkling and fascinating Christmas lights, the love dancing in the air, and moments of sharing, caring, or giving, I just live for it all. These precious gestures create unforgettable joy-filled memories that warm our hearts throughout the year, and I hope my first collection of Christmas originals does the same for my listener.”
For those of you who can’t wait for Thanksgiving to be over before Christmas decorations are put up, “Santa Woncha” is for you. With lyrics like Let’s slide into Christmas Season/ We don’t need no reason/ To start that Mistletoe kissin’/ Santa won’t you bring your Christmas/ Mr. Kringle, surely, you could stop by early/ You know what our wish is/ Santa woncha bring our Christmas, you and the family will be singing the upbeat song.
Carter teamed up with singer/songwriter Kevin McCoy to bring the romantic “Christmas is You” for a beautiful reminder of what being in love is like during the Holiday Season. The bouncing “Bow on You” is also a fun way to celebrate the one you love.
With a new Christmas tale, the songstress shares the sultry ballad, “50 Shades of Christmas.”
Carter gives a hat-tip to her Motown ancestry with the songs, “Laid Back Christmas” and “Welcome to Wonderland.”
But if you only listen to one song, make sure it is “Old Fashioned Christmas.” The song is exquisite and gives you all the holiday feels. Carter’s vocals are magical.
After playing the EP a few times, you will soon forget these are new Christmas tunes as these seven songs will become as familiar to you as anything from Bing Crosby or Mariah Carey.
If you are looking for fresh and original Christmas tunes to spin this year, Brei Carter’s ‘Twinkling Tales of Christmas’ hits all the high notes. You can stream/down “Twinkling Tales of Christmas” on your favorite app.
Also, be sure to look for Brei Carter in the future as she has become a correspondent for the Nashville Insider. She will bring an artist’s perspective to the show and provide viewers with a real inside look at country music.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, Threads, and X (Twitter).
