It’s been a busy year for Clare Dunn, who released three new recordings — including a genre-bending, R&B-influenced remix of her signature song, “My Love” — last month. With the winter holidays now approaching, she remains as hardworking and prolific as ever, offering fans an early holiday gift in the form of her newest digital single: “Step Into Christmas.”
Originally written and released by Elton John, whose own version became an international hit in the mid-1970s, “Step Into Christmas” mixes holiday cheer with what has now become Clare Dunn’s signature blend of country-rock sass and spice.
Produced by the front woman herself and recorded in a single weekend with one-pass vocals, the song is available everywhere beginning today (November 8th).
“I remember when we were kids, waking up early, exchanging gifts with my sister and parents, then us all bundling up and going out and taking care of cattle,” says Dunn, a native of Two Buttes, Colorado (population 42) who grew up working the family farm.
“By the time we came back in we were all frozen, trying to shake off the cold, scraping snow off our boots and jeans, and waiting for the ice to melt out of clumps of our hair while we packed up all the food into pickups and got ready to make the 50-mile drive down a dirt road to my grandparents’ house in Oklahoma. Our biggest tradition is just being together, whether it was in Colorado, Oklahoma, or even in Nashville sometimes now. Being together is what our holidays are all about.”
“Step Into Christmas” arrives on the heels of one of Dunn’s busiest months. After unveiling her collaboration with hip-hop artist INGRID on the October 4th remix of “My Love,” Dunn released two new singles, “Gold to Glitter” and “Money’s All Gone,” on October 18th. Full of masterful hooks and guitar grit, the songs were a hit not only with her audience, but also taste-making publications like Rolling Stone Country.
“Years after playing a string of North American arenas alongside Bob Seger, Clare Dunn channels her former tourmate’s highway-speed rock & roll with this guitar-driven anthem,” the magazine wrote of “Money’s All Gone,” calling the song “a tribute to teenage kicks and carefree nights — on a budget.”
Meanwhile, Dunn will continue touring through the beginning of Thanksgiving week, with upcoming shows that include an appearance at Des Moines’ Whiskey Fest, an arena show in Virginia with Chris Janson, and a Wisconsin performance with William Michael Morgan.
