A Philly Special Christmas Special

A Philly Special Christmas Special is the second studio album released by The Philly Specials, a vocal trio composed of Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Jordan Mailata. A sequel to A Philly Special Christmas, the album consist of covers of classic Christmas songs, and was released by Vera Y Records on December 1, 2023. It features appearances by Amos Lee, Patti LaBelle, The Philly Special Children's Choir, Waxahatchee, Howie Roseman, Jordan Davis, Travis Kelce, and The Silver Ages. Proceeds from the album are donated to the Children's Crisis Treatment Center and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.[1]

A Philly Special Christmas Special
Studio album by
The Philly Specials (Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce and Jordan Mailata)
ReleasedDecember 1, 2023
RecordedMay–July 2023
StudioElm Street Studio in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
GenreChristmas music
LabelVera Y Records
ProducerCharlie Hall
The Philly Specials (Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce and Jordan Mailata) chronology
A Philly Special Christmas
(2022)
A Philly Special Christmas Special
(2023)
Singles from A Philly Special Christmas Special
  1. "All I Want For Christmas Is You"
    Released: November 3, 2023
  2. "This Christmas"
    Released: November 10, 2023
  3. "Fairytale of Philadelphia"
    Released: November 15, 2023

Production

edit

The album was recorded at Elm Street Studios in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, between May and July 2023.[2] The album artwork was designed by Hannah Westerman, based on Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip.[2][3][4]

Promotion

edit

On November 23, an animated stop motion video was released, featuring the singers "attempting to rally their friends together for a holiday performance", and includes snippets of songs from the album.[5]

Release

edit

The album was released on December 1, 2023, and was available through digital download and vinyl. A double album named A Philly Special Christmas Special (The Deluxe Album 2022 & 2023), which combined A Philly Special Christmas Special with its prequel A Philly Special Christmas, was also made available on vinyl only.[6]

Commercial performance

edit

The album sold 28,000 copies in the US in its first week, with nearly 17,500 sold on vinyl.[6] It debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at No. 25.[7] The deluxe album sold nearly 20,000 copies and debuted at No. 55 on the Billboard 200.[6]

Track listing

edit
A Philly Special Christmas Special track listing[8]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Christmas Song" (featuring Amos Lee)
3:26
2."This Christmas" (The Philly Specials, Jordan Mailata, featuring Patti LaBelle)
  • Hall
  • Barwin
3:11
3."Dominick the Donkey" (featuring Jason Kelce)
  • Ray Allen
  • Wandra Merrell
  • Sam Saltzberg
  • Hall
  • Barwin
2:47
4."Santa's Night" (featuring Jason Kelce)Jason Kelce
  • Hall
  • Barwin
3:05
5."Christmas Time Is Here" (featuring The Philly Special Children's Choir)
  • Hall
  • Barwin
2:59
6."All I Want for Christmas Is You" (featuring Jordan Mailata)
  • Hall
  • Barwin
4:13
7."Pretty Paper" (The Philly Specials, Lane Johnson, featuring Waxahatchee)
  • Hall
  • Barwin
2:38
8."The Dreidel Song" (featuring Howie Roseman)
  • Samuel E. Goldfarb
  • Samuel S. Grossman
  • Hall
  • Barwin
3:46
9."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (featuring Jordan Davis)
  • Hall
  • Barwin
2:40
10."Fairytale of Philadelphia" (The Philly Specials, Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce)
  • Hall
  • Barwin
4:46
11."Auld Lang Syne" (The Philly Specials, The Silver Ages, featuring Jason Kelce)
  • Hall
  • Barwin
5:45
Total length:39:16

Personnel

edit
Recorded and engineered at
Instrumentation
Featured vocals
Artwork
  • Hannah Westerman

References

edit
  1. ^ Hopkins, Earl (October 24, 2023). "The Eagles name Children's Crisis Treatment Center and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as beneficiaries of their new Christmas album". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b DeLuca, Dan (September 5, 2023). "The Birds are singing again: Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, and Lane Johnson have a new Eagles' Christmas album". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  3. ^ DeLuca, Dan (December 1, 2023). "All the songs from the Eagles' new Christmas album reviewed. Yes, even the newest ones". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "A Philly Special Christmas". A Philly Special Christmas Special | Official Website. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  5. ^ Newbill, Taleisha (November 23, 2023). "A Philly Special Christmas Special animation to premiere on YouTube Thanksgiving night". CBS News. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Caulfield, Keith (December 11, 2023). "Philadelphia Eagles' 'A Philly Special Christmas Special' Charity Album Scores Big on Billboard Charts". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of December 16, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  8. ^ "A Philly Special Christmas Special - Album by The Philly Specials". Apple Music. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
edit