The first snippets of the new Eagles Christmas album are here
'Tis the season again! Jason and Travis Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata are turning up for 'A Philly Special Christmas Party.'
The third — and possibly final — installment of the Eagles holiday album series, — this one is called A Philly Special Christmas Party, isn’t set to release until Nov. 29, but fans won’t have to wait that long for new music.
A series of singles will be released on successive Fridays, starting on Nov. 1 with “Christmas Time (in Cleveland Heights),” a duet between Jason Kelce and his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, also known as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.
Fans of singing linemen Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson, and recent-retiree Jason Kelce can now get a sampling of what this Christmas Party is going to sound like. This past week, two behind-the-scenes video clips have been posted on Instagram that give a taste of this year’s cup of holiday cheer.
The first clip, released last week, begins with Mailata coyly clearing his throat. It’s a performance clip of the Australian left tackle’s duet with Delco-raised soul singer (and Philly Music Fest headliner) Devon Gilfillian on Sam Cooke’s 1962 hit, “Having a Party.”
Not a Christmas song per se, but it sets the table with mistletoe and holly for the seasonal revelry to come. Along with the singers, the clip gives a glimpse of the Philly Specials’ studio band, including producer Charlie Hall, guitarist Kevin Hanson, drummer Justin Faulkner, and others.
The second clip, which was posted on Wednesday, peeps into the studio as Johnson takes the lead on the Philly Specials’ version of the holiday perennial “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which was first a hit for Gene Autry in 1949. The video shows a hoodie-wearing Johnson calmly knocking out the vocals while Kelce taps his flip-flopped feet, before shouting out with glee after his former teammate nails the take.
Earlier this month, the Philly Specials revealed in an Instagram post that two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Nicks — who performed on Saturday Night Live for the first time in 40 years this past weekend — is a guest vocalist on the album, though the song she appears on remains a mystery.