Texas Hill and Home Free Share Jubilant Cover of ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain’
Now this puts us right in the festive mood!
Rising powerhouse country trio Texas Hill have teamed up with acclaimed five-men a cappella group Home Free to reimagine a delightful Christmas favorite, “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”
Offering a toe-tapping, slow groove and feel-good rendition, the trio’s Craig Wayne Boyd, Casey James and Adam Wakefield truly give the age-old classic a refreshing spin. The recreated euphoric recording features Wakefield on piano, James on guitar, and all eight dynamic vocalists harmonizing and trading the spotlight throughout.
“Go, tell it on the mountain / Over the hills and everywhere / Go, tell it on the mountain / That Jesus Christ is born,” they proclaim vivaciously on the singalong chorus. With their infectious remake, even grinches would become Christmas devotee converts after one listen.
Sounds Like Nashville spoke with Texas Hill and Home Free for an exclusive Q&A about the genesis of their collaboration, recording “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” and what they’re looking forward to this Christmas. Check it out!
SLN: How did this collaboration Texas Hill and Home Free collaboration come about?
Craig Wayne Boyd: Tim Foust (of Home Free) came to one of our shows earlier this year at The Nashville Palace and from that point, we knew we wanted to find something to do together down the line. We sent a few ideas back and forth, and ultimately decided that a Christmas tune would be a great place to start! We have a few mutual friends between the band members and our teams, and the energy is a natural fit. Home Free was kind enough to have us open for them in Cheyenne a few weeks ago and we got to work up a few songs together. So hopefully, we’ll get to collaborate with them more down the road! Their show is incredible and we couldn’t be bigger fans of these guys and their talent.
Tim Foust (Home Free): I’d known about Craig Wayne Boyd from a good friend and longtime collaborator Arlis Albritton, who’d previously worked with Craig after his time on The Voice. When I saw that he, Adam, and Casey had launched a new band that had the name of my home state of Texas, my interest was immediately piqued. I was really impressed by the harmonies and sound of their debut singles, and was excited to go see them at The Nashville Palace. We got introduced in person that night, and we’d been talking about a collab ever since. We’re thrilled to be bringing their music to our fans, and hope everyone discovers this awesome new project.
Out of all the holiday classics out there, how did y’all decide on “Go Tell It On The Mountain”?
Casey James: Since there are three of us in the band, we each brought our favorite Christmas song to the table. “Go Tell It On The Mountain” was Craig’s pick and ended up being the one Home Free wanted to join us on; the soulful approach [lent] itself well to an arrangement with more voices, and we love how it turned out.
Austin Brown (Home Free): Craig brought “Go Tell It On the Mountain” our way. We sang this song live about 7-8 years ago, but never laid it out as a record with the guys in this band. I sang this a ton growing up in a gospel church in South Georgia. Whenever we can throw a little Southern Gospel into our sound, we love to do it.
Craig, Casey, and Adam, what are each of you looking forward to for Christmas this year?
Craig Wayne Boyd: I absolutely love decorating for Christmas. Loading up the lights till the breakers pop. I usually add a few larger pieces every year!
Casey James: I just love Christmas. I love the music. I love the cold because it gives me a reason to snuggle up with my wife and kids. I love the food. I love that It’s a time of year when people tend to be a bit more forgiving and kind. Of all the things that I love about Christmas, the number one thing for me is quality time with the people I love. Most folks get time off for the holidays and it usually allows us all to get together. That’s definitely the best part for me. I’m extra excited this year because I’m hosting Christmas [with] the family for the first time in a while. It’s gonna be a full house and I’m gonna love every minute of it!
Adam Wakefield: I’m looking forward to going full Clark Griswald on the old casa. Trying to set an electric bill world record. Me and the boys will do some caroling around the neighborhood too; we got together last year to go caroling and definitely want to make it a tradition. Gonna spread that cheer for all to hear baby!!!
Texas Hill will join Home Free on select dates for their Warmest Winter Holiday Tour 2021, in addition to headlining their Texas Hill Christmas Tour shows in various markets. Later in 2022, the trio will make their long-awaited Grand Ole Opry debut on January 22. For the full list of Texas Hill tour dates and tickets, visit texashillofficial.com.
“Go Tell It on the Mountains” is available for streaming and purchase on all music platforms here. Listen to the track and other country Christmas covers on the playlist below.
