This Is Christmas (Luther Vandross album)

This Is Christmas is the first Christmas album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released on October 18, 1995, by Epic Records. Produced by Vandross along with Nat Adderley Jr. and Marcus Miller, the album received mixed to negative reviews from music critics and peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard 200 and number 4 at both Billboard's Top Holiday Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. A steady seller throughout the Christmas season, it was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), exceeding physical sales of 1,000,000 copies in 2002.[5]

This Is Christmas
Studio album by
Luther Vandross
ReleasedOctober 18, 1995 (1995-10-18)
RecordedOctober 1994–July 1995
Studio
Various
Genre
Length48:21
LabelEpic
Producer
Luther Vandross chronology
Songs
(1994)		 This Is Christmas
(1995)		 Your Secret Love
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Cash Box(favorable)[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[4]

The same year, Sony Music Special Products repackaged six of the album's tracks with two spiritual tracks from other albums, as Home for Christmas, and reissued the entire album again in October 2012 as part of The Classic Christmas Album line with additional tracks. The two editions of the album had sold a combined total of 1,147,000 copies as of December 2012.[6] This is Christmas lent its name to a syndicated television special Vandross hosted which aired in November and December 1995, and featured songs from this album, as well as performances by his special guests.

Track listing
This Is Christmas – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."With a Christmas Heart"
4:04
2."This Is Christmas"
4:45
3."The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody)"
4:45
4."Every Year, Every Christmas"
5:06
5."My Favorite Things"
5:58
6."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
5:05
7."I Listen to the Bells" (duet with Darlene Love)
6:07
8."Please Come Home for Christmas"
  • Vandross
  • Anderson
3:37
9."A Kiss for Christmas"
  • Vandross
  • Hampden
4:12
10."O Come, All Ye Faithful"
4:19
Home for Christmas – Reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."O Come, All Ye Faithful"
  • John Francis Wade
  • Frederick Oakeley
4:19
2."My Favorite Things"
  • Richard Rodgers
  • Oscar Hammerstein II
5:58
3."What the World Needs Now"
5:19
4."With a Christmas Heart"
  • Luther Vandross
  • Skip Anderson
4:04
5."I Listen to the Bells" (duet with Darlene Love)
  • Vandross
  • Fonzi Thornton
6:07
6."Little Miracles (Happen Every Day)"
4:43
7."Please Come Home for Christmas"
  • Vandross
  • Anderson
3:37
8."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
  • Martin
  • Blane
5:05
The Classic Christmas Album – Reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Christmas Song"
4:30
2."My Favorite Things"
  • Richard Rodgers
  • Oscar Hammerstein II
5:58
3."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
  • Hugh Martin
  • Ralph Blane
5:05
4."The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody)"
4:45
5."With a Christmas Heart"
  • Vandross
  • Skip Anderson
4:04
6."I Listen to the Bells" (duet with Darlene Love)
  • Vandross
  • Fonzi Thornton
6:07
7."A Kiss for Christmas"
  • Vandross
  • Hampden
4:12
8."Every Year, Every Christmas"
5:06
9."This Is Christmas"
  • Vandross
  • Reed Vertelney
4:45
10."Please Come Home for Christmas"
  • Vandross
  • Anderson
3:37
11."O Come, All Ye Faithful"
  • Wade
  • Oakeley
4:19
12."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Live) (duet with Chaka Khan)
  • Hugh Martin
  • Ralph Blane
5:11
13."May Christmas Bring You Happiness"Vandross4:27
14."At Christmas Time"Vandross5:03

Notes

  • "The Christmas Song" from the album A Very Special Christmas 2 (1992)
  • "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Live) (duet with Chaka Khan) from the Soul Train Christmas Starfest (1998)
  • "May Christmas Bring You Happiness" and "At Christmas Time" from the album Funky Christmas (1976)

Personnel

Choir on "O' Come All Ye Faithful"

  • Tawatha Agee, Katreese Barns, Vivian Cherry, Robin Clark, Ada Dyer, Genobia Jeter, Yvonne Lewis, Paulette McWilliams, Kevin Owens
    Tamira C. Sanders, Valerie Simpson, Fonzi Thornton (choir contractor)
Production

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[5] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. link
  2. Robertson IV, Gil L. (December 9, 1995). "Urban" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 11. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  3. link
  4. Decurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; Miller, Jim; George-Warren, Holly (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music. ISBN 9780679737285.
  5. "American album certifications – Luther Vandross – This Is Christmas". Recording Industry Association of America.
  6. Grein, Paul (December 19, 2012). "Chart Watch Extra: Christmas Albums, From Bing To Buble". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  7. "Luther Vandross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  8. "Luther Vandross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  9. "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
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