Charley Pride - Christmas In My Hometown (Expanded Edition) (1970)

Recorded in exactly the style that Charley Pride's fans expect, this Christmas offering includes four Christmas oldies (Deck the halls, Silent night, Little drummer boy, O holy night) and six original songs.

Elsewhere in the original album, there are plenty of great songs, these being the jaunty title track, the respectful They stood in silent prayer, the fun of Santa and the kids, the joyous Happy Christmas day, the thoughtful First Christmas morn and the uplifting Christmas and love.

The CD bonus tracks include another oldie (Let it snow Let it snow Let it snow) and two more songs that I'd never heard before (Out of the East, Christmas without Mary). Like We three Kings, Out of the East is inspired by the story of the three wise men, but is a completely different song. I've certainly not heard either of these songs before, but Out of the East is not an original (see comment).

With a nice mix of standards and originals, Charley's contribution to Christmas festivities is very enjoyable. It was among the first Christmas albums that I ever bought on vinyl.