This Is Christmas | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 18, 1995 | |||
Recorded | October 1994–July 1995 | |||
Studio | Various
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Length | 48:21 | |||
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Producer |
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Luther Vandross chronology | ||||
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Singles from This Is Christmas | ||||
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This Is Christmas is the tenth studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released on October 18, 1995, by LV Records and Epic Records. The follow-up to Songs (1994), it marked the singer's first Christmas album. Produced by Vandross along with Nat Adderley Jr. and Marcus Miller, This Is Christmas consists of ten tracks, featuring seven original songs and three cover versions of Christmas standards and carols, including a duet with Darlene Love.
The album received polaryizing reviews from music critics. It peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard 200 and number 4 on both Billboard's Top Holiday Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Being a steady seller throughout the Christmas season, it was eventually certified platinum in 2002 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [1] In 2002, Sony Music released six of the album's tracks, along with two spiritual tracks from the same era, on the compilation album, Home for Christmas.
In September 1994, Vandross released his ninth studio album Songs , a collection of cover versions that produced the singles "Endless Love", "Always and Forever", and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now." [2] It became Vandross' highest-charting album by then and earned four nominations at the 1995 Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album. [3] Work on his follow-up project and first Christmas album began the following year. [2] Vandross reteamed with musicians Nat Adderley Jr. and Marcus Miller to produce songs for This Is Christmas and co-wrote all of the seven original tracks on it. [3]
Apart from Adderley and Miller, Vandross consulted sevearl close musical friends to work with him on the album, including singer Darlene Love and saxophonist Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen's The E Street Band, both of whom contributed to the original song "I Listen to the Bells," as well as singer Cissy Houston, who provided backing vocals on several tracks, including the album's title song. [2] Tawatha Agee, Fonzi Thornton and Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson sang in the choir of "O Come, All Ye Faithful." [2]
In November and December 1995, the album lent its title to a syndicated television special which was hosted by Vandross and featured songs from the album, as well as performances by special guests, including Houston, Paulette McWilliams, Thornton, Agee, and Adderley. [2] The hour-long show also saw the premiere of the music video for Vandross' "Every Year, Every Christmas," the first single from This Is Christmas. [2] In further promotion if the album, Vandross, along with NBC Today show co-host Katie Couric lit the 1995 Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center where Vandross he also sung "O Come All Ye Faithful," accompanied by a 75-voice choir. [2]
In October 2012, Sony Music Special Products rearranged, expanded, and repackaged the album under the new title, The Classic Christmas Album. [4] The additional tracks were odd songs Vandross had recorded for other Christmas releases, with "The Christmas Song" being previously released on A Very Special Christmas 2 (1992), "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," a live duet with Chaka Khan, being a recording from the 1998 Soul Train Christmas Starfest and "May Christmas Bring You Happiness" and "At Christmas Time" taken from the compilation albumFunky Christmas (1976), released through Cotillion Records. [4] Some of these songs were re-released on the 2023 three-track EP Luther Vandross Classic Christmas, issued by Primary Wave Music and The Luther Vandross Estate. [5]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [7] |
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | (mixed) [8] |
Cash Box critic Gil L. Robertson IV found the album was "a superb Christmas collection that will only add to his stature as the premiere male soul artist of this age. As with every Vandross project the music here excels in the area of execution, production and background support. Unlike so many other holiday projects, Vandross breathes new life into the solid, but often-heard standards he covers [...] Christmas records have become common place, however, this one is really special." [9] Ebony editor Lynn Norment felt thath This Is Christmas "has an abundance of beautiful and romantic music that will get you in the mood to spend the holidays with someone: special. And his voice is in fine form [...]." [3]
Variety 's Tood Gilchrist wrote: "Featuring heartbreak ("Every Year, Every Christmas"), hearthside canoodling ("A Kiss for Christmas") and heavenly rapture ("O Come All Ye Faithful"), Vandross balances traditional music and an updated sensibility on a record that’s as good for a Christmas Eve party as the ride to church the next morning." [10] Chris Willman and Tiarra Mukherjee, writing for Entertainment Weekly , gave the album a B− rating and called it "a modest collection of Quiet Storm-style yuletide standards and soggy originals." [7] AllMusic editor Roch Parisien rated the album two our five stars and declared This Christmas "one other slick, highly polished production piece." [6] In a retrospective review, Vibe wrote about the album: "Perhaps believing he could bounce back with a Christmas album, he tried, and failed egregiously." [11]
This Is Christmas debuted at number 190 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of November 25, 1995. [12] It eventually peaked at number 28 in the week ending December 30, 1995. [12] The album also reached number four on both the Top Holiday Albums chart and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [13] Billboard ranked This Is Christmas 81st on its Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1995 year-end chart. [14] The album reached Gold status on December 19, 1995 and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 17, 2002. [1]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "With a Christmas Heart" |
| 4:04 |
2. | "This Is Christmas" |
| 4:45 |
3. | "The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody)" |
| 4:45 |
4. | "Every Year, Every Christmas" |
| 5:06 |
5. | "My Favorite Things" | 5:58 | |
6. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | 5:05 | |
7. | "I Listen to the Bells" (duet with Darlene Love) |
| 6:07 |
8. | "Please Come Home for Christmas" |
| 3:37 |
9. | "A Kiss for Christmas" |
| 4:12 |
10. | "O Come, All Ye Faithful" | 4:19 | |
Total length: | 48:21 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "The Christmas Song" | 4:30 | |
2. | "My Favorite Things" |
| 5:58 |
3. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" |
| 5:05 |
4. | "The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody)" |
| 4:45 |
5. | "With a Christmas Heart" |
| 4:04 |
6. | "I Listen to the Bells" (duet with Darlene Love) |
| 6:07 |
7. | "A Kiss for Christmas" |
| 4:12 |
8. | "Every Year, Every Christmas" |
| 5:06 |
9. | "This Is Christmas" |
| 4:45 |
10. | "Please Come Home for Christmas" |
| 3:37 |
11. | "O Come, All Ye Faithful" |
| 4:19 |
12. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Live) (duet with Chaka Khan) |
| 5:11 |
13. | "May Christmas Bring You Happiness" | Vandross | 4:27 |
14. | "At Christmas Time" | Vandross | 5:03 |
Total length: | 67:05 |
Notes
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Choir on "O' Come All Ye Faithful"
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [1] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Dance with My Father is the fourteenth and final studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by J Records on June 10, 2003 in the United States and served as the follow-up to his self-titled studio album (2001). The album, especially its title track, was dedicated to Vandross's late father Luther Vandross, Sr. and features production credits from Nat Adderley Jr., Shep Crawford, and Marcus Miller as well as guest appearances by singer Beyoncé, R&B trio Next, and rappers Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, and Busta Rhymes.
Jump to It is the twenty-eighth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, produced by Luther Vandross and released on July 26, 1982, by Arista Records.
Get It Right is the twenty-ninth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on June 30, 1983, by Arista Records. It was produced by Luther Vandross, following his successful teaming with the singer for the Gold-certified album, Jump to It, in 1982. Get It Right was not as commercially successful, and Franklin did not have Vandross produce any further albums.
Songs is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released by LV Records and Epic Records on September 20, 1994 in the United States. The album, a collection of cover versions, produced the singles "Endless Love", "Always and Forever", and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". According to an interview both Vandross and Mariah Carey gave in Japan following the release of their duet "Endless Love", there was mention that Carey had given advice as to what songs Vandross would cover on this album.
"Power of Love/Love Power" is a single by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released on April 9, 1991 as the lead single from his 1991 album of the same name. The song spent two weeks at number one on the US R&B chart, and peaked at number four on the US pop chart, becoming his biggest pop solo hit.
Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer Luther Vandross, released on August 12, 1981, by Epic Records. Mostly composed by Vandross himself, the album reached number 19 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Never Too Much earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982, including Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.
Forever, for Always, for Love is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Luther Vandross, released on September 21, 1982, by Epic Records. It became Vandross' second album to chart in the top 20 on the Billboard 200 and was his second album to top the R&B Albums chart where it spent three weeks.
Busy Body is the third studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on November 25, 1983. It hit the number one position on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the week of April 13, 1984 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in January 1985.
Any Love is the sixth studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on September 20, 1988, in the United States. Produced by Vandross and Marcus Miller, the album features a cover of Major Harris' hit single "Love Won't Let Me Wait" as well as "The Second Time Around," a re-recording of a song featured on Vandross's band Luther's 1976 album of the same name.
Power of Love is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released in North America by Epic on April 26, 1991, following the critical and commercial success of his sixth album Any Love (1988). Power of Love received critical acclaim from most critics, earning Vandross a number of awards and accolades including two American Music Awards and two Grammy Awards. It reached number seven on the US Billboard 200 album chart, while topping the Top R&B Albums chart for five nonconsecutive weeks. On the latter chart, it was Vandross's last number one for twelve years until Dance with My Father was released. The album was later certified double platinum by the RIAA.
Your Secret Love is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer Luther Vandross, released by Epic Records in October 1996. The album's title track won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and was nominated for Best R&B Song at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997. The album served as Vandross's final album under Epic Records after being part of the record label for fifteen years.
Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 is a live album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released on October 14, 2003, by J Records. Recorded live at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on February 11 and 12, 2003, two months before Vandross' hospitalization due to a stroke, it was produced by Vandross' longtime musical director Nat Adderley, Jr. and marked his first live album. Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 debuted and peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of November 5, 2003.
Never Let Me Go is the eighth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on May 26, 1993, in the US by Epic. It was his first studio album not to debut at #1 on the R&B Albums chart.
Luther Vandross is the thirteenth studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by J Records on June 19, 2001 in the United States. His debut with the label after a brief stint with Virgin Records on I Know (1998), it marked a departure for Vandross who reunited with frequent collaborators Nat Adderley, Jr. and Marcus Miller to work on some songs, but also recruited a wider range of contemporary producers such as Warryn Campbell, Shep Crawford, Eddie F., Darren Lighty, Soulshock, and The Underdogs to contribute material.
How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye is a studio album by the American singer Dionne Warwick. It was released by Arista Records on September 29, 1983, in the United States. Recorded during the spring of 1983, Warwick worked with the singer and songwriter Luther Vandross, who also appears on the hit title track. The album includes the original version of the song "So Amazing", which Vandross would record later for his Give Me the Reason album, and a remake of The Shirelles' 1960 hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", featuring the original group on guest vocals.
"Jump to It" is a 1982 song by American recording artist Aretha Franklin. The track is from her Gold-certified 1982 album of the same name, produced by Luther Vandross. The song was written by Vandross and Marcus Miller and features background vocals performed by Vandross and Cissy Houston. The single reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart, remaining there for four consecutive weeks.
"Get It Right" is an R&B song written by Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller that was a hit for Aretha Franklin in 1983. Released from the album of the same title, it hit number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in August 1983 but stalled at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #65 in Cash Box. The single reached number nine on the Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 74 on the UK Singles Chart.
"I'd Rather" is a song by American singer Luther Vandross. It written and produced by Shep Crawford and recorded by Vandross for his eponymous album (2001). The song was released as the album's third and final single. "I'd Rather" became a top twenty hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and reached the top forty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It also topped the US Adult R&B Songs chart, the second single from Luther Vandross to do so.
"Every Year, Every Christmas" is a song by American singer Luther Vandross. It was written by Vandross and Richard Marx for his tenth studio album, the holiday album This Is Christmas (1995), while production was helmed by Vandross. The original Christmas song received moderate rotation on radio and peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Singer Patti LaBelle also covered the song, which appeared on her 2007 Christmas album Miss Patti's Christmas. The LaBelle version was spoken at the end, with the song dedicated to Vandross.
"So Close" is a song by American singer Diana Ross from her thirteenth studio album Silk Electric (1983). The song was written by Bill Wray, Rob Mounsey and Diana Ross and produced by the latter.