White Christmas Blue is the forty-fourth solo studio album and second Christmas album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on October 7, 2016, by Sony Legacy. The album is produced by Lynn's daughter, Patsy Lynn Russell, and John Carter Cash, the son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
White Christmas Blue is LynnâÂÂs first Christmas album in five decades, since her 1966 album Country Christmas. The album is part of the "Cash Cabin Recordings", an extensive library of new music, overseen by producers Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash, that has been LynnâÂÂs primary artistic focus in recent years. Six tracks on the album - "Country Christmas", "Away in a Manger", "Blue Christmas", "To Heck with Ole Santa Claus", "Frosty the Snowman" and "White Christmas" - were previously recorded by Lynn for her first Christmas album, Country Christmas.
White Christmas Blue was met with generally favorable critical reception. Giving the album 7 out of 10 stars, John Paul of PopMatters said, âÂÂThereâÂÂs a warmth and intimacy to LynnâÂÂs performances of these Christmas standards. By elegantly tapping into each, Lynnâ¦provides fans with a collection that can be returned to time and again with the same heart-warming familiarity of faded photographs and video images of Christmases past.â Hal Horowitz from American Songwriter gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars saying that âÂÂLynn, now in her mid-80s, is also in remarkably spry voice. You never feel sheâÂÂs going through the motions, even on the most overdone classics.â Walter Tunis, writing for the Lexington Herald-Leader gave a positive review, saying that âÂÂFew artists can draw upon an esteemed artistic heritage to such as unassuming degree as Loretta Lynn does on the title track to her new White Christmas Blue album."
The album debuted at No. 35 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, selling 1,800 copies in its first week. The album reached its peak position of No. 26 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart dated December 24, 2016, selling 4,200 copies. As of September 2017, the album has sold 29,400 copies.