Star Bright (Vanessa Williams album)

Star Bright
Studio album by Vanessa Williams
Released	November 5, 1996 (1996-11-05)
Recorded	1993, 1995–1996
Studio	Clinton Recording Studios (New York, NY) Edison Studios (New York, NY) The Hit Factory (New York, NY)
Genre	Christmas R&B
Length	52:17
Label	Mercury
Producer	Gerry "The Gov" Brown Bruce Carbone Ron Von Arx
Vanessa Williams chronology
The Sweetest Days (1994) Star Bright (1996) Next (1997)
Singles from Star Bright
"Do You Hear What I Hear"/"The Little Drummer Boy" Released: October 22, 1996

Star Bright is the fourth studio album and first Christmas album by Vanessa Williams, released on November 5, 1996, on Mercury Records. It achieved success as one of the best-selling holiday albums of 1996 and '97. It peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200, #24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #5 on the Top Holiday Albums. The album went on to be nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album ^[1] and was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.

Although no official singles were released from the album, "Do You Hear What I Hear/The Little Drummer Boy" reached #15 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.^{[ citation needed ]} A video was shot in 1993 for "What Child Is This?" that was originally featured on the A&M Records Christmas compilation A Very Special Christmas 2 . The album was re-released in 2003 as The Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters: The Best of Vanessa Williams.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B− [3]

Entertainment Weekly editor Chris felt that Williams "gets plenty of bonus points for good taste, starting with the actual cover of "Star Bright", which finds her striking a Julie Londonesque pose in a slinky evening dress that isn’t even red or green. The quiet orchestrations and modest interpretations she favors may be too careful [...] but compared with the overreachings of certain parties to be named shortly, a little subtlety goes a long way." ^[3] Shawn M. Haney from AllMusic found that "Williams blends in the beauty of jazz, gospel, and soul music to create a portrait of Christmas songs. The record, entitled Star Bright, is genuinely filled with a glistening appeal, and the songs that it contains encompass a rich tapestry of the best and brightest seasonal music. The setting changes via each song, some tunes filled with Williams' rich voice backed by an assertive, charismatic gospel choir."

Track listing

1. "Do You Hear What I Hear/The Little Drummer Boy" (K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Noel Regeny, Gloria Shayne, Harry Simeone, Traditional) - 5:02
2. "Star Bright" (Rob Mathes) - 3:37
3. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Shout)" (Mathes, Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley) - 5:34
4. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (With Bobby Caldwell) (Frank Loesser) - 5:51
5. "I Wonder as I Wander" (Mathes) - 4:40
6. "Sleep Well, Little Children" (Alan Bergman, Leon Klatzkin) - 0:40
7. "Angels We Have Heard on High" (Traditional) - 4:58
8. "The First Noel" (William Sandys) - 4:28
9. "What Child Is This?" (William Chatterton Dix, Traditional) - 3:52
10. "Gracious Good Shepherd" (Mathes) - 4:15
11. "Go Tell It on the Mountain/Mary Had a Baby" (Public domain, Traditional) - 5:48
12. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram) - 3:32

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Star Bright

Chart (1996)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [4]	36
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard) [5]	5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [6]	24

Certifications

Certifications for Star Bright

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [7]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Complete List of Academy Voter Picks". Los Angeles Times. January 7, 1998. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
2. Haney, Shawn M. "Star Bright". AllMusic . Retrieved November 17, 2025.
3. Willman, Chris (December 6, 1996). "Music Review: Christmas Hits and Misses". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 17, 2025.
4. "Vanessa Williams Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
5. "Vanessa Williams Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
6. "Vanessa Williams Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
7. "American album certifications – Vanessa Williams – Star Bright". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 13, 2018.