In 1996 Collin Raye released “Christmas: The Gift,” his collection of 11 Christmas classics and one new track, “It Could Happen Again,” which featured Johnny Cash reciting a story of the cease fire between soldiers in WWI.   Since then, every holiday season, Collin tours behind that album and sings these Christmas songs.  Now recording for his own label StarPointe Records, Collin has released “A Family Christmas,” a collection of live recordings featuring all but two of those tracks. 

The album opens up with “The Christmas Song,” and if you want to know how good of a live performer Raye is, you need only hear this song as he’s dynamic on the recording while engaging the fans and discussing the tracks.  “Angels We Have Heard On High” manages to show off Collin’s voice as well while the live rendition of “It Could Happen Again” features him telling the story of why he recorded this album. 

Collin’s daughter Brittany duets with him, just as she did on “Christmas: The Gift,” on “Away In A Manger” and “Silent Night.”  Their family harmony is also on display on “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” a song that often is missing the first verse on many renditions but that verse is present here.  While this album will obviously appeal to Collin Raye’s most loyal of fans, it’s also a fine holiday album by one of Country music’s best vocalists of the 1990s.

You can buy this album digitally via iTunes for only $5.99 and Amazon.com for only $8.99