The Christmas Album (Johnny Mathis album)

The Christmas Album is the fifth Christmas album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on October 15, 2002,[1] 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.

The Christmas Album
Studio album by
Johnny Mathis
ReleasedOctober 15, 2002[1]
Recorded2002
StudioSchnee 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[2]
Genre
Length30:31
LabelColumbia
ProducerRobbie Buchanan[2]
Johnny Mathis chronology
Mathis on Broadway
(2000)		 The Christmas Album
(2002)		 The Essential Johnny Mathis
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

Mathis is pictured on the cover at the age of four years.[6]

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."[3]

Track listing

From the liner notes for the original album:[2]

  1. "Joy To The World" (Lowell Mason, Isaac Watts) – 2:01
    • Bob Krogstad – arranger
  2. "Heavenly Peace" (Dean Pitchford, Tom Snow) – 3:30
    • Robbie Buchanan – arranger
  3. "Away in a Manger" (William J. Kirkpatrick) – 2:30
    • Robbie Buchanan – arranger
  4. "A Christmas Love Song" (Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Johnny Mandel) – 3:35
  5. "Frosty the Snowman" (Steve Nelson, Jack Rollins) – 2:31
    • Bob Krogstad – arranger
  6. "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" (Johnny Marks) – 2:00
  7. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (Phillip Brooks, Lewis H. Redner) – 2:44
  8. "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (Irving Berlin) – 3:34
    • Bob Krogstad – arranger
  9. Medley – 5:00
    a. "Snowfall" (Claude Thornhill)
    b. "Christmas Time Is Here" (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson)
    • Bob Krogstad – arranger
  10. "Merry Christmas" (Fred Spielman, Janice Torre) – 3:12

Personnel

From the liner notes for the original album:[2]

References
  1. (2017) The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88985 36892 2.
  2. (2002) The Christmas Album by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Columbia Records CK 86814.
  3. "The Christmas Album - Johnny Mathis". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  4. Whitburn 2004, p. 168.
  5. Whitburn 2007, p. 179.
  6. (2006) Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Columbia Records 82876896852.

Bibliography
  • Whitburn, Joel (2004), Christmas in the Charts (1920-2004), Record Research Inc., ISBN 0-89820-161-6
  • Whitburn, Joel (2007), Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006, Record Research Inc., ISBN 978-0898201697
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