Christmas with Friends (India.Arie and Joe Sample album)

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"Let It Snow"
A sample of India.Arie rendition of "Let It Snow", featuring Joe Sample on the piano. Arie said that Sample's chord voicings influenced her vocals on the album. [1] [3]
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Christmas with Friends comprises ten songs, nine of which are covers of Christmas standards and one is an original track. [1] [4] SoulTracks' Melody Charles viewed the track listing as "leisurely-paced". [7] The midtempo "Favorite Time of Year" is the album's only original song. [4] [6] It was co-written by Arie's mother during a session in the recording studio with her daughter and Aaron Lindsey, [1] [6] and includes lyrics about Arie's family, such as how her mother created her stage clothing. [6] She chose to cover "Merry Christmas Baby" as her grandmother had previously sung to her during her childhood. [10]

Sample plays the piano on four of the album's songs: "Let It Snow", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Silent Night", and "The Christmas Song". [3] Arie said that Sample's chord voicings had a deep impact on her approach for her vocals; she explained: "His piano playing was so nuanced and delicate, it made me want to sing in a way that would complement his aesthetic." [1]

Music critics noted that the singers came from different artistic backgrounds, such as gospel, jazz, pop, contemporary R&B, soul, and rock. [3] [7] Francois Marchand of The Vancouver Sun identified the album's genre as "relaxed pop [and] R&B." [11] Charles wrote that "Let It Snow" features "Sample's glib piano work and her feathery croon" and "The Christmas Song" as a "smoke-infused ditty". [7] Arie's interpretations of "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" and "Merry Christmas Baby" contain elements of ragtime and blues respectively. [7] [10] Her versions of "Let It Snow" and "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" incorporate a jazz sound, [12] [13] while her take on "Auld Lang Syne" includes an instrumental from American saxophonist Kirk Whalum. [10]

Release and promotion

Christmas with Friends was released on October 16, 2015, through Motown and Soulbird Music. [14] [15] [16] It was Arie's second studio album after a four-year hiatus. In a 2015 interview with Ebony , she said that it would be her only Christmas album. [2] Christmas with Friends was Sample's final album before his death; when talking about her part in his career, Arie said: "It's an honor to be the gatekeeper to what we believe is his last recorded work." [2]

Arie promoted the album by performing in a concert as part of the Hollywood Christmas Parade on December 11, 2015. She also embarked on the Christmas with Friends Tour (2015). The seven-city production started in Boston on December 13, 2015, with American musician Jonathan McReynolds serving as the opening act for five of its dates. [1] A portion of the ticket sales was given to the National Museum of African-American Music. [17] To promote the record further, Arie also appeared on The Steve Harvey Morning Show and Tavis Smiley in December 2015. [1]

Reception

Some critics praised India.Arie (pictured in 2004) for her vocals on the album. India.Arie in 2004 by Chris Hakkens.jpg
Some critics praised India.Arie (pictured in 2004) for her vocals on the album.

Upon its release, Christmas with Friends received positive feedback from music critics. Praising Arie's performance as "show[ing] a smooth maturity", The Southern Illinoisan 's Pablo Gorondi wrote that Sample lent the album a "jazz expertise". [10] Sean L. Maloney of the Nashville Scene summed up the record as "a great big bundle of warm-and-fuzzies, a cozy cuddle by the fireplace on a cold night, and a holiday tradition in the makin". [17] Philadelphia Weekly 's Nerisha Penrose viewed it as composed of "nostalgic numbers that will warm listeners['] ears and hearts". [18] The Los Angeles Times ' Randy Lewis described Christmas with Friends as "suitably warm", [19] and Alan Sculley of the Daily Herald wrote that it showcased the potential for a Christmas album to be original. [12]

Other critics had more mixed responses to the album. Despite wishing that Sample was featured on more songs, Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised the contributions from its various featured artists. He highlighted Arie's vocals "switching between the spiritual and playful material with natural ease", writing that she provides cohesion for all of the tracks. [3] While she believed that the album needed more uptempo tracks, Melody Charles responded positively to Arie's vocals and her collaborations with the other artists. She wrote that the album "gift[ed] music lovers with a treat to the ears, and heart, long before that celebrated day arrives". [7] Joe Szczechowski of Digital First Media praised Arie's approach to the album's various genres, but he criticized her tendency to rely on "runs and other vocal gymnastics when the song would be best served by simply carrying the tune". [20]

Christmas with Friends reached a peak position on several Billboard charts for the week of December 26, 2015. [21] [22] [23] It peaked at number 107 on the Billboard 200, and remained on the chart for four weeks. [21] It reached number 78 on the Top Album Sales chart, and stayed on the chart for two weeks. [22] The album peaked at number 19 on the Holiday Album Sales chart, and remained on the chart for a total of six weeks. [23] Along with the album, Arie's cover of "Merry Christmas Baby" peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 9, 2016, and remained on the chart for one week. [24]

Track listing

Credits adapted from AllMusic. [3]

Christmas with Friends
ChristmasWithFriendsArieSampleAlbumCover.jpg
Studio album by
India.Arie and Joe Sample
ReleasedOctober 16, 2015 (2015-10-16)
StudioVarious (See background and recording section)
Genre
Length36:20
Label Motown, Soulbird Music
Producer
India.Arie chronology
Songversation
(2013)		Christmas with Friends
(2015)		SongVersation: Medicine
(2017)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Let It Snow"
2:34
2."Favorite Time of Year" (featuring Tori Kelly)
3:01
3."Silent Night" (featuring Brandy)
  • Lindsay
  • India.Arie
  • Sample
3:40
4."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (featuring Kem)
  • Lindsay
  • India.Arie
  • Sample
4:35
5."Merry Christmas Baby" (featuring Michael McDonald)
  • Lindsay
  • India.Arie
3:34
6."I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (featuring Dave Koz and Trombone Shorty)
Rickey Minor3:10
7."The Christmas Song"
  • Lindsay
  • India.Arie
  • Sample
4:23
8."God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (featuring Khristian Dentley)
  • Traditional
  • Lindsay
  • India.Arie
4:19
9."Mary, Did You Know?" (featuring Gene Moore Jr.)
  • Lindsay
3:23
10."Auld Lang Syne" (featuring Kirk Whalum)
  • Traditional
  • Lindsay
  • India.Arie
3:41
Total length:36:20

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic. [5]

Management
Recording locations
Credits

Charts

Chart (2015)Peak
position
Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums [25] 1
Billboard Jazz Albums [26] 2
Billboard Top R&B Albums [27] 7
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums [28] 12
Holiday Album Sales ( Billboard ) [23] 19
Top Album Sales ( Billboard ) [22] 78
Billboard 200 [21] 107

Release history

CountryDateFormatLabelRef.
United StatesOctober 16, 2015
  • CD
  • digital download
Motown, Soulbird Music [14] [15] [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Arie included the following message in the liner notes: "Joe said, 'Recording should be a moment. The best records are where a group of musicians are sharing an experience together.' And we had that." [4]
  2. ↑ A feature with American musician Stevie Wonder was also planned, but was never finished. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mitchell, Gail (December 4, 2015). "India.Arie Spends 'Christmas with Friends' Joe Sample, Tori Kelly, Brandy & More". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 10, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 León, Felice (November 16, 2015). "X-Mas Comes Early for India.Arie". Ebony . Archived from the original on March 18, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kellman, Andy. "AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic . Archived from the original on May 29, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "India.Arie Christmas w/ Friends feat. Special Guest Jonathan McReynolds". Howard Theatre. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Credits". AllMusic . Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Arnold, Chuck (December 18, 2015). "India Arie Talks New Christmas Album, and the 15th Anniversary of 'Acoustic Soul'". Essence . Archived from the original on August 2, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Charles, Melody. "India.Arie - Christmas with Friends (with Joe Sample)". SoulTracks. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Frisby, Mister Mann (December 17, 2015). "India.Arie to bring Christmas to the Keswick". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  9. ↑ Coffey, Kevin (December 2, 2015). "New Christmas albums are coming: Add these to your holiday playlist". Omaha World-Herald . Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Gorondi, Pablo (December 2, 2015). "India.Arie, "Christmas with Friends" (Soulbird/Motown)". The Southern Illinoisan . Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ Marchand, Francois (December 10, 2015). "10 top Christmas albums: From Sinatra to Sharon Jones, what's old is new again". The Vancouver Sun . Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  12. 1 2 Sculley, Alan (December 1, 2015). "The 13 best new Christmas albums". Daily Herald . Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  13. ↑ Pareles, Jon; Ratliff, Ben; Caramanica, Jon; Chinen, Nate (November 26, 2015). "Making Merry with Music". The New York Times . Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Christmas with friends". WorldCat . OCLC   990939658.
  15. 1 2 "Christmas with Friends". Apple Music. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  16. 1 2 Gorondi, Pablo (December 22, 2015). "New Christmas albums for 2015". CBS News . Archived from the original on March 9, 2016.
  17. 1 2 Maloney, Sean L. (December 21, 2015). "India.Arie Christmas with Friends Tonight at the Schermerhorn". Nashville Scene . Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  18. ↑ Penrose, Nerisha (December 16, 2015). "India.Arie heads to Philly to perform "Christmas with Friends"". Philadelphia Weekly . Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  19. ↑ Lewis, Randy (December 18, 2015). "Rating 2015's holiday music: the merry and the 'meh'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 24, 2017.
  20. ↑ Szczechowski, Joe (November 30, 2015). "It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas". Digital First Media . Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  21. 1 2 3 "Billboard 200". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 27, 2017.
  22. 1 2 3 "Top Album Sales". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 27, 2017.
  23. 1 2 3 "Holiday Album Sales". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 27, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Hot 100". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 27, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Contemporary Jazz Albums". billboard.com. Billboard.
  26. ↑ "Jazz Albums". billboard.com. Billboard.
  27. ↑ "Top R&B Albums". billboard.com. Billboard.
  28. ↑ "Top R&B Hip-Hop Albums". billboard.com. Billboard.
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