The Season for Miracles

The Season for Miracles
Studio album by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Released	November 23, 1970 (1970-11-23)
Genre	Soul, Christmas
Length	37:41
Language	English
Label	Tamla
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles chronology
A Pocket Full of Miracles (1970) The Season for Miracles (1970) One Dozen Roses (1971)

The Season for Miracles is a 1970 studio album by the American soul group Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. The Christmas album has received positive reviews and has been a strong seller for Motown, being reissued on compact disc in 1992. ^[1]

Reception

Critical reception

A brief review in Billboard recommended this release as being a "joyous" and "delightful holiday package". ^[2] The editors of AllMusic Guide scored this album three out of five stars, but do not have a detailed review. ^[3] The publication does review the 1973 various artists compilation A Motown Christmas , which includes tracks from this album and critic Jason Ankeny calls that an "outstanding sampler" of music that includes a "beautifully soulful vibe". ^[4] In 2011's The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, this album received three out of five stars. ^[5]

Sales

Although this release did not sell well enough to chart, ^[6] a 1987 review of the best-selling Christmas albums by Ebony notes that this is one of the best-selling from Motown. ^[7]

Track listing

Side one

1. "Deck the Halls"/"Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella" (traditional) – 4:03
2. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (traditional) – 3:06
3. "I Can Tell When Christmas Is Near" (Stevie Wonder) – 3:02
4. "I Believe in Christmas Eve" (Smokey Robinson) – 2:03
5. "The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé and Robert Wells) – 3:27
6. "Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) – 2:47

Side two

1. "It's Christmas Time" (Wonder) – 3:27
2. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (John Wesley Work Jr. and traditional) – 3:45
3. "Away in a Manger"/"Coventry Carol" (William James Kirkpatrick / traditional) – 2:23
4. "Peace on Earth (Good Will Toward Men)" (A. Roach) – 3:03
5. "The Day That Love Began" (Deborah Miller and Ron Miller) – 3:53
6. "A Child Is Waiting" (Joe Hinton and Patti Jerome) – 2:42

Personnel

The Miracles

• Warren "Pete" Moore  – bass vocals
• Claudette Rogers Robinson  – vocals
• Smokey Robinson  – lead vocals
• Bobby Rogers  – tenor vocals
• Marv Tarplin  – vocals
• Ronnie White  – baritone vocals

Additional personnel

• Jim Hendin – photography
• Wade Marcus – arrangement on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
• Curtis McNair – artwork, design
• Jimmy Roach – arrangement on "Deck the Halls"/"Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella", "Go Tell It on the Mountain", "Away in a Manger"/"Coventry Carol", and "Peace on Earth (Good Will Toward Men)"
• Tom Schlesinger – graphic supervision
• David Van De Pitte – arrangement

References

1. McAdams, Janice (July 11, 1992). "Dynamic Diva: Buzz Builds On Mary Blige". The Rhythm and the Blues. Billboard . Vol. 82, no. 51. p. 17. ISSN   0006-2510.
2. "Billboard Album Reviews". Billboard . Vol. 82, no. 51. December 19, 1970. p. 50. ISSN   0006-2510.
3. "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – Season for Miracles review". AllMusic Guide.
4. Ankney, Jason. "Various Artists – A Motown Christmas review". AllMusic Guide.
5. Colin Larkin, ed. (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958.
6. White, Adam (December 18, 1982). "Motown's Curious Yule Offering". Black. Billboard . Vol. 94, no. 50. p. 54. ISSN   0006-2510.
7. "Sound Off: The Best in Recorded Music". Ebony . Vol. 43, no. 2. December 1987. p. 18B. ISSN   0012-9011.

External links

• The Season for Miracles at Discogs (list of releases)
• The Season for Miracles at MusicBrainz (list of releases)