The Henningsens might not be a name you’re familiar with, but you should be. Like an early Lady Antebellum but twangier, and with the added bonus of being a family band (father Brian Henningsen alongside son Aaron and daughter Clara), the trio released a digital EP in 2013 featuring the top 15 hit ‘American Beautiful’. They have been rather more absent from the charts of late, but the fact that instead of recording their debut full-length album they’ve been focusing on making a really great holiday record, just makes them all the more intriguing to me. I find it fascinating that such an unestablished and unproven act would opt (and be given the green light) to drum up ten festive tracks, but I admire their ambition and vision here. It takes guts to take on a project like this at this point in their career, and I respect their desire to do what they want rather than follow the conventional path.
The risk paid off. ‘Our Family Christmas’ stands far apart from its contemporaries and is quite easily my favorite country holiday record this year (I’ve heard quite a few by now!). The dozen songs are gathered in line with a theme of tradition that Brian says was very deliberate, collecting together carols such as ‘Auld Lang Syne’, ‘Silent Night’ (featuring American Idol alumnus Janelle Arthur), ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘O Come O Come Emanuel’, as well as a couple of more secular classics (‘White Christmas’, ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’) and two originals co-written by Aaron Henningsen, ‘Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Baby Jesus’ and ‘Christmas Kissin’’ (actually a solo write). I will be the first to come out and say I am not a Christian so in order for me to enjoy such music it must be done in a way that isn’t pushy, preachy or overwhelmingly religious-exclusive. The Henningsens manage this surprisingly effortlessly, the emphasis being on reviving the traditional ballads of a time long lost, rather than pushing a certain worldview on their listeners. As in, the focus is on storytelling, and that I can get on board with no matter what the context. Too, songs like the opening ‘Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Baby Jesus’, is just so damn catchy and sweet-sounding, I can’t help but fall in love with it.
What also goes in their favor is that they combine the religious grounding with the more fun contributions of ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’ and ‘Christmas Kissin’’ (which features Jerrod Niemann duetting with Clara). The story goes that Aaron and Clara were meant to sing the latter song to each other, but found the subject matter far too awkward between siblings! The result works far better, however, as the pair’s vocals blend sublimely, the deeper lilt of Jerrod adding bass to a song that is built upon mandolin, tamborine and acoustic guitar.
That leads me to the main starring highlight of this collection. Many Christmas records are rooted in a big band, orchestral, smooth 50’s sound, thinking Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, and often that ignores the usual country influences of said artist. Here, The Henningsens reject such a convention in favor of instrumentation and arrangements that simply reflect the kind of music they would usually create; that is to say, sweet, rootsy folky sounds, simple, stripped back, acoustic. Even their rendition of ‘Carol of The Bells’ (which has an orchestral element with a full string section) turns into a delicate medley including ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ that cuts a balance between the drama of the song and their tendency towards a prettier, gentler sound. It sounds truly original compared to almost all of the other country Christmas records, and I’m thinking of those stretching back a few years, not just in 2014.
I took a look at the listed instruments on the record, and they are mandolin, banjo, lap steel, dobro, bass, drums, strings, guitar, harmonica, percussion, piano and dulcimer. That alone gives you an idea of where they are sonically pitching with this record, and certainly that more than anything is an advert for their upcoming original material. They’re a new act, they could have released another standard EP or a Christmas collection that just copied convention. Instead, they did something different, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. And I support it wholeheartedly.
