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Since the 1950s, the holiday-themed spiritual “Go Tell It on the Mountain” has been covered by dozens of gospel, folk, R&B, rock and country acts. But for 19-year-old Bailey Bryan, raised in the Pacific Northwest town of Sequim, Washington, her version of the tune evokes not only the celebration of the season but also the scenic area where she grew up.
The entire city center of Leavenworth, Washington, where Bryan performed in the town square before moving to Nashville, resembles a Bavarian village, and the holidays are colorful – and snowy. There’s even a nearbyNutcracker Museum.
“‘Go Tell It on the Mountain’ is really special to me because it’s the first Christmas song I ever learned to play,” Bryan tells Rolling Stone Country.“When I lived in Washington, I would sit by the fire in our house and play that song at Christmastime after decorating the tree. It was a lot of fun to get to put my own spin on it.”
What Bryan’s visual spin on “Go Tell It on the Mountain” lacks in wintry spectacle – thanks to an absence of snow in Music City at the time it was shot – it makes up for with a sense of youthful wonder in anticipation of the season. The singer, her voice a light, heavenly blend of Alison Krauss and Miley Cyrus, is seen in a Santa hat, making merry throughout downtown Music City and delivers a warmly casual, bluegrass-tinged acoustic performance.
With a reputation for country-flavored versions of hip-hop tunes, including Drake and Rihanna’s “Too Good,” it’s natural that Bryan puts something of a millennial twist on the centuries-old song.Last month, Bryan was among the artists named to the 2018 class of CMT’s Next Women of Country.Her “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is part of the Amazon Original Playlist Acoustic Christmas.
