Wade Bowen Covers the Classics & Moderns in New Christmas Album

On November 8th, Wade Bowen will release Twelve Twenty-Five, a timeless collection of Christmas classics as well as modern holiday songs -- including Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

Twelve Twenty-Five runs the gamut from traditional Christmas carol covers of “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night,” to a rendition of the modern holiday classic George Michael’s “Last Christmas.” Naturally, Bowen also pays homage to his country heroes with covers of Dolly Parton’s “Once Upon A Christmas” and Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” featuring Cody Canada.

Pre-save the album on Apple Music, or pre-order vinyl, CDs and other Christmas items and bundles at wadebowen.com.

“Christmas has always been the most personal of holidays, with its combination of faith and family,” says Bowen. “That was true for me while growing up and it’s still true for me today, albeit in a completely different way. As a husband and father who spends so much time traveling the world playing music, I love the feeling the Christmas season brings to my life. And I recognize how quickly time passes and how each Christmas is unique and fleeting. With my family, I try to keep the best parts of the warm, magical, small-town vibe that my parents gave me while growing up in Waco.”

That small-town vibe is evident throughout the record, even in Bowen’s decision on the album artwork. The cover, a painting of downtown New Braunfels (Bowen’s hometown) during Christmas was commisioned from local New Braunfels artist Thom Ricks.

“I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album that reflects all of that. All that I’ve grown to love. I can remember sitting around listening to Christmas music with my mom and sisters and singing every word. So when it came time to choose the songs for this album, I wanted those to be part of the project. But on top of the classic songs I grew up with, I want to introduce my kids to the modern holiday songs by my favorite singers or things that I watched on TV that also became part of what Christmas means to me. So this record is a reflection of all of that…with a timeless feel. It was made with friends and family, singing songs that came to mean something to me over the years. And maybe, if we’re lucky, something on this album might become a small part of what Christmas means to you. I hope you enjoy it.”