Christmas Away from Home

Christmas Away from Home is the first album recorded by Jay R in his own studio and label. When asked about the idea of owning his own recording studio, he explains "It's a necessity for a recording artist [...] It saves a lot of money in the long run and it's very convenient. You can work on the recordings at any time of the day". His studio is located inside his house, saying "I had to look for a house that was big enough to house a studio [...] I was renting a place just a few blocks away from this house, and the neighbors used to complain about the loud music. This house meets all my requirements."[2]

He initially named his label JAYRS Music, but in 2008, he renamed it as Homeworkz Records, due to the fact that the studio is located inside his house.

The Christmas album was actually inspired by Jay R's uncle Reny, who just died not too long ago. He states, "The entire album is actually inspired by him, from the single to the cover to the layout, pictures and video. His death triggered something in me, and I knew that a tribute was the best way to thank him and cherish his legacy". Christmas Away from Home is a jazzy Christmas album that is the perfect album to play during the holidays. It shows killer solos and an outstanding vocal performance by Jay R. "It's a must have.", as said by the critics.[3]

Produced by JAYRS Music and distributed by Universal Records, the new CD also marks his initial attempt at running his own independent record label. Turning himself into a virtual one man production outfit, Jay R single-handedly produced, arranged, mixed, mastered and attended to all details - including the album's layout and art concept. He explains, "It was a tough job to finish. I didn't sleep much because I wanted everything hands-on. I arranged the music then recorded all the session players in my studio, wrote a tribute song for my uncle at the same time setting up in my living room for the photo shoot, then recorded my vocals on all the songs with my featured guests while conceptualizing the layout for the album. Mixed and mastered everything, and then there's the business side to take care of too".[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Titik Pilipino	[4]

Christmas Away from Home did not have enough promotion, ending up uncertified by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. Although, it received generally mixed to positive critical response. Resty Odon of Titik Pilipino gave the album three out of five stars, expressing how he liked the mixture of Jay R's R&B sound and Christmas sound. He stated, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Jay R is the first local artist to come up with the idea of a local RnB Christmas album [...] I can readily say I like the result". However, he was kind of antagonistic towards the album's sad feel, expressing "Well, one can regard the track "Tito Reny" as a love note, which is hardly a sad thought, although the honesty and earnestness may be too unabashed to the point of embarrassing. Sad songs are just not fitting for Christmas, at least for me".[5]

All tracks were single-handedly produced, arranged, mixed and mastered by Jay R.[6]

Holiday of Love
Studio album by Jay R
Released	November 24, 2008
Recorded	2006—2008 at Homeworkz Studio
Genre	Holiday, Pop, R&B
Length	48:12
Label	Homeworkz, Universal
Producer	Jay R Sillona (also executive)
Jay R chronology
Soul in Love (2008) Holiday of Love (2008) Jay R Sings OPM Love Classics (2008)
Singles from Holiday of Love
"Spread the Love" Released: October 18, 2010 "Give Love on Christmas Day" Released: December 3, 2010

Holiday of Love is the re-issue of Christmas Away from Home, released on November 24, 2008. It was recorded on Jay R's own studio and label, Homeworkz Records. Although, like Jay R's previous albums, it was still distributed by Universal Records. It consists of six Christmas songs, plus eight of the original release's tracks (which were remixed and remastered).[7][8]

The album was made available on digital download through iTunes and Amazon.com MP3 Download.[9][10]