Released October 22, 2002 Artist Johnny Mathis Producer Robbie Buchanan Genre Pop rock | Length 30:31 Release date 22 October 2002 Label Columbia Records | |
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Recorded 2002 at
Schnee Studio,
North Hollywood, California,
The Hop,
Studio City, California,
Windmill Lane Studios,
Dublin, Ireland,
Aire Born Studios,
Zionsville, Indiana,
The Hop North
Vancouver, British Columbia The Christmas Album
(2002) The Essential Johnny Mathis
(2004) Similar Johnny Mathis albums, Pop rock albums | ||
The Christmas Album is the fifth Christmas album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in October 2002 by Columbia Records and included his first recordings of three traditional carols ("Joy To The World", "Away in a Manger", "O Little Town of Bethlehem"), three new songs ("Heavenly Peace", "A Christmas Love Song", "Merry Christmas"), and a handful of 20th-century offerings.
Contents
In December of that year, the album reached number 23 on Billboard magazine's Top Holiday Albums chart and number 143 on the Billboard 200.
The album also gave Mathis his first entry on Billboard's list of the top Adult Contemporary songs of the week since 1988's number 27 hit "I'm on the Outside Looking In", when "Frosty the Snowman" reached number 29 during the week it spent on the chart in the issue dated January 4, 2003.
Mathis is pictured on the cover at the age of four years.
Reception
This holiday outing elicited another positive review from William Ruhlmann of AllMusic: "Backed by the Irish Film Orchestra, which can be alternately lush and swinging, Mathis creates yet another winning collection."
Track listing
- "Joy To The World" (Lowell Mason, Isaac Watts) – 2:01
- Bob Krogstad – arranger
- "Heavenly Peace" (Dean Pitchford, Tom Snow) – 3:30
- Robbie Buchanan – arranger
- "Away in a Manger" (William J. Kirkpatrick) – 2:30
- Robbie Buchanan – arranger
- "A Christmas Love Song" (Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Johnny Mandel) – 3:35
- Alan Broadbent – arranger
- "Frosty the Snowman" (Steve Nelson, Jack Rollins) – 2:31
- Bob Krogstad – arranger
- "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" (Johnny Marks) – 2:00
- Ray Ellis – arranger
- "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (Phillip Brooks, Lewis H. Redner) – 2:44
- Jonathan Tunick – arranger
- "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (Irving Berlin) – 3:34
- Bob Krogstad – arranger
- Medley – 5:00
a. "Snowfall" (Claude Thornhill)
b. "Christmas Time Is Here" (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson) - Bob Krogstad – arranger
- "Merry Christmas" (Fred Spielman, Janice Torre) – 3:12
- Jonathan Tunick – arranger
Songs
1Joy to the World2:01
2Heavenly Peace3:29
3Away In A Manger2:30