Classic Christmas is the third studio album and first Christmas album by the British singer Joe McElderry. It was released on 25 November 2011.[1] It is his second album released under Decca Records.
| Classic Christmas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 November 2011 | |||
| Recorded | October 2011 | |||
| Genre | Christmas, pop, classical | |||
| Length | 44:39 | |||
| Label | Decca, UCJ | |||
| Producer | Steven Baker, Morgan Pochin Music Productions | |||
| Joe McElderry chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Classic Christmas | ||||
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Background
editBefore the album's official announcement, it was available to pre-order from Play.com, Amazon.co.uk and HMV.com. On 6 October, McElderry announced that he was working on the album on Twitter[2] and later on his official website.[3] The album features a collaboration with one of his Popstar to Operastar mentors, Rolando Villazón. A limited Christmas gift edition was announced, it includes the album along with his previous album, Classic, the set also includes a signed photograph, a keyring, and a tag from McElderry on the hand wrapped box.[4]
Promotion
editAn advert was filmed, directed by Steve Lucker, it features McElderry outside in the snow, collecting logs and taking them to a large house preparing for a Christmas party, singing a selection of songs of the album.[5] 2 short music videos were made from the footage that was filmed, "Last Christmas"[6] and "O Come All Ye Faithful".[7]
On 8 December, he performed at Durham Cathedral to an audience of 1,500, singing, "In the Bleak Midwinter" and David Essex's "A Winter's Tale", with a new verse written by Tim Rice.[8] He will introduce The Nutcracker at The O2 arena from 27 December 2011 to 30 December 2011.[9]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Entertainment Focus |   [10] |
Prior the release of the album, Entertainment Focus praised the album, calling it "another winning release from Joe McElderry", giving the album 4/5 stars.[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mary's Boy Child" | Jester Hairston | 3:57 |
| 2. | "White Christmas" | Irving Berlin | 3:11 |
| 3. | "When a Child Is Born" | Ciro Dammicco, Fred Jay | 3:30 |
| 4. | "In the Bleak Midwinter" | Christina Rossetti | 4:23 |
| 5. | "O Holy Night" (featuring Rolando Villazón) | Adolphe Adam | 5:03 |
| 6. | "I Believe in Father Christmas" | Greg Lake, Peter Sinfield | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Silent Night" | Joseph Mohr, Franz Gruber, John Freeman Young | 3:27 |
| 8. | "Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)" | John Francis Wade, Frederick Oakeley | 3:07 |
| 9. | "Santo Natale (Merry Christmas)" | Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, Belle Nardone | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Last Christmas" | George Michael | 4:18 |
| 11. | "The Little Drummer Boy" | Katherine Kennicott Davis | 2:55 |
| 12. | "Driving Home for Christmas" | Chris Rea | 3:37 |
Charts
editDuring the album's first week of release in the United Kingdom, 34,043 copies of the album were sold at retail in the country, and the album debuted at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart.[11]
The album debuted at number 73 on the Irish Albums Chart.
| Chart (2011) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[12] | 15 |
| Irish Albums Chart[13] | 73 |
Personnel
edit- Joe McElderry – Vocals
- City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra – Orchestra
- Brighton Festival Chorus – Choir (1, 3, 5, 7, 8)
- Brighton Festival Youth Choir – Choir (2, 5)
- James Morgan – Conductor, producer, Orchestral arrangements and programming, Keyboards, Mixing, Editing (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12)
- Juliette Pochin – Producer, Mixing, Editing, Orchestral arrangements and programming, Keyboards (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12)
- Stephen Higgins – Conductor (1, 3, 5, 7, 8)
- Steven Baker – Producer, Orchestral arrangements and programming (1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11)
- Kathryn Tickell – Northumbrian Bagpipes
- Craig Hendry – Bass guitar
- Per Lindvall – Drums
- Friðrik Karlsson – Guitar (1, 4)
- Andy Greenwood – Trumpet (12)
- Lucia Svehlova – Violin (9)
- Rolando Villazón – Vocals (5)
Release history
edit| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 25 November 2011 |
| United Kingdom | 28 November 2011 |
References
edit- ^ "Classic Christmas by Joe McElderry on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ Tweet by Joe McElderry (verified account) Twitter. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
- ^ Joe McElderry News joemcelderryofficial.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
- ^ Christmas Gift Edition Universal Music Group online store. Retrieved on 21 November 2011.
- ^ Behind The Scenes at Joe's Classic Christmas Winter Wonderland! on YouTube Decca Records on YouTube. Retrieved on 21 December 2011.
- ^ Last Christmas music video on YouTube
- ^ O Come All Ye Faithful music video on YouTube
- ^ Royal approval for charity carols night The Northern Echo. Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ The Nutcracker introduced by Joe McElderry – Book Tickets Archived 13 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine theo2.co.uk. Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Joe McElderry – Classic Christmas | Entertainment Focus". Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ Alan Jones, Official Album Chart analysis: Olly Murs becomes 10th X Factor No. 1 From Music Week (4 December 2011). Retrieved on 5 December 2011.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ Archived Irish Albums Chart for the Week Ending 1 December 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 4 December 2011.
- ^ "Joe McElderry – Classic Christmas". Discogs.com. Retrieved 23 July 2016.