Martina McBride announces new Christmas album, tour, book

Singer signs with BMG for the projects

Martina McBride is gearing up for the Christmas spirit early with the announcement of her second Christmas album, It’s The Holiday Season, available October 19th via her new record label partner BMG. The iconic singer will also continue her The Joy of Christmas Tour tradition, this time bringing to life the harmonic, orchestral sounds on the album by using local symphonies on each stop. But, before all that begins, she will release a second all-season cookbook, Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist For Real Life.

For this album, McBride collaborated with the late Patrick “Pat” Williams to arrange a set of classic Christmas songs with accompaniment from more than 40 world-class musicians at the famed Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and her own Blackbird Studio in Nashville. This release follows her 1998 multi-platinum White Christmas.

“It’s been exactly twenty years since I released White Christmas,” McBride says in a statement. “With that album I wanted to make it classic and something that would stand the test of time, which I feel like it has done. I wanted to accomplish the same thing with It’s The Holiday Season, but with a different feel. So I decided to make most of the album with a big-band swing vibe that takes you back to the Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald records. We recorded more of the pop Christmas numbers that lend themselves to that kind of feel rather than focusing on the hymns like we did with White Christmas. I think they are great companion pieces and my hope is that they will both be enjoyed for years to come.”

Before the holiday festivities begin, McBride’s sophomore cookbook Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life hits shelves. Available October 30th, the new collection includes nearly 300 pages of family recipes and new creations from her own kitchen. This follows her 2014 release Around The Table.

“Over the past couple years, our family has spent less time watching the news and more time together at the dinner table sharing what is going on in our daily lives, listening to new music we love, and enjoying time together. Those moments inspired me to recreate some of our favorite family meals, and as our girls grow up each holiday we share becomes more special. I wanted to create a cookbook families can use year-round and a Christmas album to enjoy together during the holidays.”

“When I make something delicious, I want to share it, which is a lot like sharing my music with an audience,” says McBride. She continues, “I hope you enjoy this book and cook from it often. I encourage you to start thinking about cooking ‘outside the lines.’ That’s what makes cooking fun! It’s my biggest wish that a few of these dishes will make it onto your list of new favorites.”

Before the Christmas tour begins, McBride will hold special book-signing events in a handful of cities. Events include October 13th at the New York City Wine & Food Festival in New York, NY at 2:15 pm ET; October 25th at Premiere Collectibles Live Signing in Franklin, TN; October 27th at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville; October 30th at Books & Greetings in Northvale, NJ at 7 pm ET; November 1st at NBC Store in New York, NY; November 11th at Vroman’s Bookstore in Los Angeles, CA; November 18th at Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN at 2 pm CT and December 3rd at Eagle Eye Book Store in Atlanta, GA. Additional dates are expected to be announced and some of the times are TBA as of press time.

Tour Dates:

November 23 – Biloxi, MS Beau Rivage
November 24 – Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre
November 25 – Charlotte, NC Ovens Auditorium
November 29 – Nashville, TN Schermerhorn Symphony Center
November 30 – Nashville, TN Schermerhorn Symphony Center
December 1 – Nashville, TN Schermerhorn Symphony Center
December 4 – Atlanta, GA Atlanta Symphony Hall
December 6 – Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
December 7 – Dallas, TX Majestic Theatre
December 8 – Sugar Land, TX Smart Financial Centre

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com