Melissa Carper Announces Holiday Album A Very Carper Christmas with the Delightful Original 'Made With Love'

We haven't even got Halloween out of the way, and we've already got our first Christmas song! Not that we're complaining. We could do with a little jollity and joy around these parts, and they don't come much more jolly and joyful than Wonder Woman of Country Melissa Carper.

With three critically acclaimed solo albums under her belt, and a duet album with Theo Lawrence just around the corner, Melissa Carper rambles into the holiday season witha fresh collection of future seasonal classics on a A Very Carper Christmas.

She attributes the idea of making a Christmas album to her friend Ben Kitterman after he told her about his family's tradition of putting on her Daddy's Country Gold album each Christmas and she challenged herself to make a true holiday record.

Melissa Carper reached out to her long-time friend and old Camptown Ladies bandmate, Gina Gallina, to see if she would be interested in co-writing the album, and an hour after asking, she received an email from Gina with five witty ideas sketched out. Carper, inspired by Gallina's quick action, began adding melodies and chords to Gallina's lyrics. The two got together at an Airbnb in Arkansas in the Spring of 2024 to finish these song and add many more.

The result is 15 tracks consisting of the Carper and Gallina collaborations, three Carper solo originals, co-writes with Katie Shore and Brennen Leigh, plus two classic covers.The first taste comes with the delightfully jaunty 'Made with Love.'

“'Made With Love' was first inspired by Brennen Leigh and Kevin Skrla, who gifted me a big, delicious jar of homemade granola," says Carper about how the song came about. "On the jar it said 'Made with Love.' Homemade food and gifts are always the best, and I decided I had to write a song about it. When I walked my dog, Georgia Peach, down the street that day, I started in on the song."

I then thought of my friend, collaborator, and crochet queen, Gina Gallina, with the second verse: “No there ain’t nothing better / Than a hand-crocheted sweater / Made with love / One stitch at a time / When the gift that you’re giving / Has your heart woven in.”

"Every holiday season, I purchase several of Gina’s crocheted gloves, hats, and scarves as gifts, and everyone who receives them knows they have something truly one-of-a-kind."

"I also wanted to write about the idea of how loving someone passes on for a whole lifetime, generationally, to the next line, and the next line after that. When you’re loved and cared for, you’re able to pass that on to your children, family, friends, partner, etc."

Listen to 'Made With Love' exclusively on Holler below.

Recorded at The Bomb Shelter with producers Andrija Tokic and Dennis Couch, they got together, along with Carper, Gallina, and a top-notch troupe of musicians in January 2025 to bring the songs to life and even borrowed a Christmas tree from friend Susan Hamilton to ensure the holiday spirit was kept in full flow.

Fans can expect the usual jampacked musical jamboree from Melissa's seasonal offering with everything from Country and Western Swing and R&B to Folk, Cajun, and even some Latin vibes on A Very Carper Christmas, due for release right around Thanksgiving.

Tracklisting

1. Plug in the Tree (G.Gallina & M. Carper)
2. I Want a Dog for Christmas (B. Leigh & M. Carper)
3. Cats Are in the Christmas Tree (G. Gallina & M. Carper)
4. Cruisin' in Santa's Sleigh (G. Gallina & M. Carper)
5. Christmas Memories (M. Carper)
6. Sit By a Fire with You (K. Shore & M. Carper)
7. Dumpster Divin' on Christmas Eve (M. Carper)
1. Made With Love (M. Carper)
2. Just One Stocking (G. Gallina & M. Carper)
3. Christmas in New Orleans (G. Gallina & M. Carper)
4. It's Not Hard to Write a Christmas Card (G. Gallina & M. Carper)
5. Oh Cheeseball (G. Gallina & M. Carper)
6. The Day After Christmas (B. Martin, G. Gallina, M. Carper)

Melissa Carper will also support the great JD McPherson on his annual holiday tour, Socks: A Rock & Roll Christmas, in December 2025.

A Very Carper Christmas is due out on 28 November via Soundly Music