Released September 30, 2014 Studio Abbey Road Studios Artist Seth MacFarlane Producer Joel McNeely | Recorded December 25–31, 2013 Length 42:41 Release date 30 September 2014 Label Republic Records | |
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Holiday for Swing
(2014) No One Ever Tells You
(2015) Genres Christmas music, Swing music, Big band, Traditional pop music Similar Seth MacFarlane albums, Christmas music albums | ||
Let it snow seth macfarlane vinyl
Holiday for Swing is the second full-length studio album, and first Christmas-themed album from Seth MacFarlane, released by Republic Records on September 30, 2014. It is available on CD, vinyl and as a digital download. The album is a collection of Christmas songs and contains collaborations with artists including Norah Jones and Sara Bareilles. It also features Frank Sinatra's bassist Chuck Berghoffer as well as a 65-piece orchestra. The album is the follow-up to MacFarlane's Grammy-nominated 2011 debut album Music Is Better Than Words. Like Music Is Better Than Words, Holiday for Swing was produced and conducted by film and television composer Joel McNeely.
Contents
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Background and recording
On May 15, 2014, it was announced that MacFarlane had completed his first Christmas album and that it would be released in time for the 2014 holiday season.
The album was recorded between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2013 in Los Angeles and in studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios in London. In an interview with Billboard, MacFarlane explained why the album was recorded during the holidays nearly one year before its release:
"Generally with a holiday album, you find yourself making the recordings during the summer or any time but Christmas, with this one we actually lucked out. Part of it was because we didn’t want to bump up against the production schedule for Ted 2, which is not an ideal time to be recording anything with 12 to 15 hour days shooting a movie. It worked out nicely, and it was just a pure joy to do."
Release
Holiday for Swing was released on September 30, 2014, through Republic Records.
Critical reception
Holiday for Swing received mostly positive reviews from music critics upon its release.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three stars out of five and states: "Apart from the ever so slight notion that he's singing with a wink borrowed from Burl Ives -- a tell that gives away his status as a Gen-Xer weaned on Rankin & Bass holiday productions -- MacFarlane plays it straight, even when he's camping it up with Sara Bareilles on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (Norah Jones is the other guest, singing on "Little Jack Frost Get Lost"), and this sincerity plays out in his favor."
Personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic:
Songs
1Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!3:04
2Christmas Dreaming2:50
3I’ll Be Home for Christmas3:55