We were already super excited for Christmas but then we heard that our favourite country-rock band Jess and the Bandits were releasing a brand new EP in time for the festive season and needless to say, we totally lost our chill. Pun intended. But despite its title you won’t have to wait long to hear, “Always Christmas Eve,” as it is going to be released tomorrow (1st December)!
Jess and the Bandits made the decision to release the EP, “Always Christmas Eve,” in celebration of the singer’s upcoming nuptials. After documenting her search for Mr. Right and finally meeting the man of her dreams, the band’s lead singer Jess Clemmons will finally be a married woman when Santa makes his visit this year.
Full to the brim with festive sparkle and joy, “Always Christmas Eve,” is a four-track masterpiece that you really need to hear.
The first song on, “Always Christmas Eve,” is, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which we’ve all heard a million times already but this version featuring Kevin McGuire is one of our new favourites for sure. Now because this is such a well known song that we have heard so many different covers of, we were a bit worried over how it would sound.
But our worries completely vanished as soon as Jess and Kevin’s voices kicked in. The pair’s voices work well together and even though it’s one of the more unique versions of the song, it is a great track and the mixture of festive jingle and country flare ends up being quite a brilliant combination.
The second song on the EP is a stunning ballad titled, “Wrapped In Red,” which we are totally in love with. Jess and the Bandits and country singer Luke Thomas really out-do themselves with this track and we seriously can’t get over how amazing it is. The lyrics are sweet enough but when they are sung with such heart, they really do come to life and don’t even get us started on how incredible the track sounds with the addition of strings in the background!
Overall, this track is the absolute perfect song to have on repeat during the festive season and we’re looking forward to sharing it with our loved ones… Oh, and belting it out into our hairbrushes but let’s not mention that out loud.
Next up on Jess and the Bandits’ seasonal EP is the title track, “Always Christmas Eve,” which is a cool duet with four time British Country Music Association Awards winner and friend of the band, Gary Quinn. After hearing how well his voice blends with Jess’, we really couldn’t imagine the track any other way. It’s the cheery festive tune with a smooth country twang that we never knew we needed.
Jess pours her heart into this track as she sings about being in love with her man and how every day with him feels like Christmas Eve and honestly, this warmed our heart more than any cup of mulled wine ever could.
Finally, a cover of everyone’s favourite winter-time warmer, “O Holy Night,” which features another of Jess’ friends and UK country artist, Laura Oakes concludes the EP. The ladies are a force to be reckoned with on this track and we absolutely love how magical and beautiful their voices sound together as they sing.
In fact we might even say that this is one of the most beautiful renditions we have heard of the song in a long time. It made our hairs stand up in the best way, and we can’t wait to have it on repeat in the run up to Christmas Day.
So there you have it. Jess and the Bandits’, “Always Christmas Eve,” is the perfect gift for Christmas and we’re just so thankful that we don’t actually have to wait until Christmas Eve to be able to hear it.
You don’t have to wait that long either as it’s set to be released tomorrow… That’s right, Santa Claus is coming early this year and you can pre-order your copy of the EP right now if you haven’t done so already by clicking here.
Have you pre-ordered your copy of Always Christmas Eve? Which song are you most excited to listen to? Let us know on Twitter at, @CelebMix.