Steve Perry Releases Expanded ‘The Season’ Featuring New Song ‘Maybe This Year’

Steve Perry has released an extended, 10-track digital version of his 2021 holiday album The Season. Available now, The Season Deluxe Edition adds two previously unreleased songs to the eight from the first release, “Maybe This Year,” which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee wrote with Dallas Kruse, and his soulful version of Donny Hathaway’s festive staple “This Christmas.”

“I wanted to write an original Christmas song of my own,” says Perry, “so Dallas Kruse and I began writing what became ‘Maybe This Year.’ I wrote the lyrical sentiment about how the holidays can bring such joy and sadness and how for me, both these emotions give me connection to feelings of gratitude for so many years gone by, and a desire to hold on to these holiday feelings we share throughout the coming year.

“Along with ‘Maybe this Year’ I have also added one of my favorite Donny Hathaway songs, ‘This Christmas.’ I dedicate both these tracks to my friend, Lamont Dozier.” The great Motown songwriter and solo artist died in August at the age of 81.

The Season was recorded primarily at the singer-songwriter’s home studio in collaboration with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa) and with Kruse. The latter multi-instrumentalist also worked with Perry on his 2018 album Traces, which debuted at No.4 on the Billboard 200.

“One of the things I love most about those traditional recordings is they’re not coming at you like a rock song,” said Perry when the original album was released. “They’re just sitting there quietly and inviting you in. I’d never sung with that much simplicity before, and it was incredibly thrilling to bring that kind of expression to these songs.”

He continued: “Music has always been something that rescues me in difficult times. I hope when people hear this record, they’re teleported in the same way I was when I recorded all these songs – I hope it brings them back to those golden moments with their loved ones and gives them that feeling of joy and connection and comfort that we all need so much.”

Buy or stream The Season Deluxe Edition.