A Christmas Cornucopia

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A Christmas Cornucopia
Annie Lennox - A Christmas Cornucopia.jpg
Studio album by
Released12 November 2010 [1]
RecordedOctober 2009 – Summer 2010 in London, England
StudioSheen Lane, London
Milestone Studio, Cape Town
Genre Christmas, soul
Label Island, Decca
Producer Annie Lennox
Mike Stevens
Annie Lennox chronology
The Annie Lennox Collection
(2009)
A Christmas Cornucopia
(2010)
Nostalgia
(2014)
Singles from A Christmas Cornucopia
  1. "Universal Child"
    Released: 12 October 2010 [2]
  2. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
    Released: 4 November 2010
  3. "The Holly and the Ivy"
    Released: 12 December 2011
  4. "Dido's Lament"
    Released: 9 November 2020

A Christmas Cornucopia is the fifth solo studio album, and the first Christmas album, by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, released in November 2010. It was Lennox's first album after signing to the Universal Music Group (Island Records in the UK, Decca in the US and Canada) following her departure from Sony BMG, which had been her label for almost 30 years.

Contents

The album is a collection of Lennox's favourite Christmas songs, though includes one original track written by Lennox, "Universal Child", which was released digitally as a single on 12 October 2010. A music video for Lennox's version of the classic Christmas carol "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" premiered on 4 November 2010, which was released as the second digital single from the album.

A tenth anniversary special edition of the album was released on 20 November 2020 including a new recording, "Dido's Lament". [3]

A choral version of “Dido’s Lament” performed together with London City Voices (a non-audition community choir based in London) was donated to Greenpeace. The official video begins with the following quote by Annie Lennox:

“When it comes to climate catastrophe, we are on the edge of abyss. I really believe we don't have much time left to make an effective change. We are looking at a civilization on the downwards side. This is the truth of this matter. It's staring us in the face and we are not paying any significant attention—continuing on as if it doesn't exist. I see Dido's Lament as a lament for our dying planet.” [4]



Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 73 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Austin Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
BBC Music (very positive) [8]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [10]
The New York Times (Positive) [11]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]

Metacritic gives A Christmas Cornucopia a weighted average score of 73 based on 9 reviews, meaning "generally favorable reviews". [5] Ian Wade of BBC Music gave the album a very positive review, saying "this collection could find itself becoming as much a part of the holiday season as arguments with loved ones." [13] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine awarded the album 3.5/5 and said "Lennox seems more inspired on A Christmas Cornucopia than she has in years." [14] John Hunt of Qatar Today magazine gave the album 9/10 and said "in particular, the vocal work and musical arrangement of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' are impactful to the point of being intimidating." [15]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Angels from the Realms of Glory" James Montgomery 4:00
2."God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"Traditional3:32
3."See Amid the Winter's Snow" Edward Caswall, John Goss 3:31
4."Il est né le divin Enfant"Traditional3:37
5."The First Noel"Traditional4:40
6."Lullay Lullay (The Coventry Carol)"Traditional3:13
7."The Holly and the Ivy"Traditional3:37
8."In the Bleak Midwinter" Christina Rossetti 3:31
9."As Joseph was a Walking (The Cherry Tree Carol)" Geoffrey Shaw 3:59
10."O Little Town of Bethlehem" Phillips Brooks 3:33
11."Silent Night" Joseph Mohr, Franz Gruber, John Freeman Young 3:49
12."Universal Child"Annie Lennox4:14

Commercial performance

As of January 2011, Christmas Cornucopia has sold 179,000 copies in United States. [16]

Personnel

Technical

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for A Christmas Cornucopia
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogue
Germany [37] [38] 12 November 2010 Decca Records CD, digital downloadB0043A0PXU
12 November 2010 LP record B0043A0PY4
United Kingdom15 November 2010 Island Records CD, digital download
Ireland
United States16 November 2010Decca Records
23 November 2010LP record

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