Martina McBride was dressed in black, but her mood was bright when she sang her opening number on the 2011 'A Home for the Holidays' special to celebrate families that have foster and adopt children join their folds.

"Tonight we are celebrating those whose lives have been changed by adoption," McBride said last night on the CBS televised show, presented in association with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Children's Action Network. "Since we've been on the air, thousands of foster children have found homes."

Kicking off with the story of the Henderson family that adopted a child after watching a past 'A Home for the Holidays' broadcast, musicians including OneRepublic, Gavin DeGraw, Mary J. Blige and Justin Bieber -- who McBride called "the next best thing" to Santa Claus -- sang holiday songs between stories of the families.

Although McBride spoke little during the special, her performances, including an a capella version of 'O Holy Night,' spoke volumes backing up her many comments about the importance of families.

"John and I are very fortunate in that we have a great, close relationship with both Delaney and Emma as teenagers," she said. "We have an affectionate, sweet relationship based on honesty and respect.”

McBride's fans are in for a treat next year when RCA, her former label, releases ‘Hits and More,’ which will feature some of McBride’s career classics, as well as a few bonus tracks.

The 20-song collection will include the singer’s biggest hits, including ‘Independence Day,’ ‘Wild Angels,’ ‘A Broken Wing,’ ‘Valentine,’ ‘Wrong Baby Wrong’ and ‘Anyway,’ among others. In addition to the familiar tunes, the album will also feature three brand-new songs that have never been released: ‘Surrender,’ ‘Straight to the Bone’ and ‘Being Myself.’

 

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