Christmas Through Your Eyes is the fourth solo studio album, and 16th overall, by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan. It was released on September 27, 1993 through Epic Records. A follow-up to 1993's Mi Tierra, it marked Estefan's first Christmas album. Produced by Phil Ramone, Christmas Through Your Eyes consists of eleven tracks, including ten cover versions of Christmas standards and carols and the original song "Christmas Through Your Eyes," co-penned with Diane Warren.
Critics generally found the album pleasant but bland, noting that despite some Latin touches and warm vocals, Estefan's energy and arrangements felt subdued and unremarkable, appealing mainly to dedicated fans. On the charts, Christmas Through Your Eyes peaked at number 43 on the US Billboard 200 and number nine on the Top Holiday Albums chart. It earned a Gold cerfiction in early 1994 and Platinum later that year. By 2009, it had sold 874,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[1]
Background
Following the success of her multi-awarded Latin album Mi Tierra, Estefan decided on recording a collection of Christmas songs, including traditional songs along with the title track, an original song written by Estefan and Diane Warren. The title track was previously released with a different instrumental arrangement on Estefan's 1992 Greatest Hits album and released as a double A-side single with "Miami Hitmix" in Europe.[2] The Spanish-language song called "Arbolito de Navidad" was also included. Estefan was accompanied by a big band on the song "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" and sings a jazz-inspired rendition of "This Christmas".[3]
Technologically, the album production was used as a testing ground for what would be the digital long-distance audio technology used in the production of the Frank Sinatra album Duets, using the Dolby Digital system provided by Skywalker Ranch-based Entertainment Digital Network, so that Estefan could remotely listen to the production sessions in Los Angeles from her home studio in Miami.[3] Both the Estefan and Sinatra album were produced by Phil Ramone and principally recorded and mixed by Eric Schilling.[3]Music videos were filmed and released for the songs "This Christmas" and "Silent Night", which are included on the video collection Everlasting Gloria!.
Entertainment Weekly critic David Browne wrote about the album: "Give Gloria Estefan credit for using Christmas Through Your Eyes as a way to spice up over-recorded holiday standards with Latin-pop flavoring. Unfortunately, Estefan's usual energy flags; she sings nearly every song as if inhabited by the ghost of Karen Carpenter. And someone should have told producer Phil Ramone that making a Christmas album sound cold should refer to the time of year, not to colorless synthesizers and drum machines."[5]AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album two and a half out of five stars. He wrote that Christmas Through Your Eyes "has a few concessions to her Cuban heritage, particularly with "Arbolito de Navidad," but much of the album is devoted to adult contemporary arrangements of familiar songs [...] In other words, it's nothing remarkable, even if it has a nice new song in the form of the title track, and it will wind up only being of interest to dedicated Estefan fans."[4]
Chris Willman, writing for The Los Angeles Times noted that "though not ostensibly a kids' album, this is more lullaby music. The occasional hint of a Latin beat and a bilingual "Silent Night" are among the few distinguishing features Mama Estefan offers."[6] In his review for Music Week, Alan Jones, remarked that "Gloria will again disappoint fans of her more regular output with this selection of seasonal favourites. Her vocals are warm and intimate on the mainly traditional titles here but arrangements, both vocal and instrumental, are extremely low key here and where lush orchestrations might have helped, she is often supported by synth recreations."[7]New York Times critic Stephen Holden found that Estefan was "too bland a stylist to put an indelible personal stamp on any of the 11 songs on her Christmas album. The record begins pretentiously with an overture followed by pleasant, straightforward readings of mostly familiar songs arranged in twinkly pop settings lightly seasoned with Latin and pop-funk rhythms."[8]
Commercial performance
Christmas Through Your Eyes peaked at number 43 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[9] It also reached the top ten of Billboard's Top Holiday Albums chart, peaking at number nine.[10] The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 7, 1994.[11] In December 1994, it reached Platinum status in the United States for shipments figures in excess of over a million copies.[11] By July 2009, Christmas Through Your Eyes had sold 874,000 copies domestically, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[1]
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