It Won't Be Christmas Without You is the eighth studio album and the first Christmas album by country music duo Brooks & Dunn released in 2002. Their first album of Christmas music, it features covers of traditional Christmas songs, as well as several newly written tunes. Four of the album's songs — "Hangin' 'Round the Mistletoe", the title track, "Rockin' Little Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland" — received enough airplay to enter the Billboard country music charts, peaking at numbers 47, 41, 57 and 57, respectively.
The album received a 3 star rating from AllMusic, with an unattributed review praising Brooks & Dunn for "wisely foregoing the drippy, synth-laden production that ruins many contemporary country Christmas albums, instead relying on the neo-honky tonk sound that made the duo famous."
Track listing "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) – 3:00 "Hangin' 'Round the Mistletoe" (Kostas) – 2:41 "It Won't Be Christmas Without You" (Steven Busch, Ronnie Dunn, Jerry Lynn Williams) – 3:43 "Rockin' Little Christmas" (Deborah Allen, Bruce Channel) – 3:06 "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson)– 3:29 "Santa's Coming over to Your House" (Kix Brooks, Don Cook) – 2:32 "The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) – 2:56 "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 2:24 "Who Says There Ain't No Santa" (Brooks, Larry Boone, Paul Nelson) – 3:41 "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram) – 2:42 "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin) – 2:46
Personnel
Brooks & Dunn Kix Brooks - lead vocals, background vocals Ronnie Dunn - lead vocals, background vocals
Additional Musicians Deborah Allen - background vocals Bekka Bramlett - background vocals David Campbell - string arrangements, conductor Bruce Channel - background vocals Lisa Cochran - background vocals Eric Darken - percussion Dan Dugmore - steel guitar Shannon Forrest - drums Paul Franklin - steel guitar Barry Green - trombone Kenny Greenberg - electric guitar Mike Haynes - trumpet Aubrey Haynie - fiddle, mandolin Jim Horn - baritone saxophone B. James Lowry - acoustic guitar Brent Mason - electric guitar The Nashville String Machine - strings Steve Nathan - keyboards, Hammond organ, piano Steve Patrick - trumpet Michael Rhodes - bass guitar Brent Rowan - electric guitar John Wesley Ryles - background vocals Denis Solee - tenor saxophone Harry Stinson - background vocals
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2002) Peak position
Year-end charts Chart (2003) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 55
References