Classic Christmas is the third studio album and first Christmas album by the British singer Joe McElderry. It was released on 25 November 2011. It is his second album released under Decca Records.
Background Before the album's official announcement, it was available to pre-order from Play.com, Amazon.co.uk and HMV's website. On 6 October, McElderry announced that he was working on the album on TwitterTweet by Joe McElderry (verified account) Twitter. Retrieved on 31 October 2011. and later on his official website.Joe McElderry News joemcelderryofficial.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011. The album features a collaboration with one of his Popstar to Operastar mentors, Rolando Villazón. A limited Christmas gift edition was announced, it includes the album along with his previous album, Classic, the set also includes a signed photograph, a keyring, and a tag from McElderry on the hand wrapped box.Christmas Gift Edition Universal Music Group online store. Retrieved on 21 November 2011.
Promotion An advert was filmed, directed by Steve Lucker, it features McElderry outside in the snow, collecting logs and taking them to a large house preparing for a Christmas party, singing a selection of songs of the album. Decca Records on YouTube. Retrieved on 21 December 2011. 2 short music videos were made from the footage that was filmed, "Last Christmas" and "O Come All Ye Faithful".
On 8 December, he performed at Durham Cathedral to an audience of 1,500, singing, "In the Bleak Midwinter" and David Essex's "A Winter's Tale", with a new verse written by Tim Rice.Royal approval for charity carols night The Northern Echo. Retrieved on 13 December 2011. He will introduce The Nutcracker at The O2 arena from 27 December 2011 to 30 December 2011.The Nutcracker introduced by Joe McElderry – Book Tickets theo2.co.uk. Retrieved on 28 November 2011.
Reception
Entertainment Focus praised the album, calling it "another winning release from Joe McElderry", giving the album 4/5 stars. Dan Bean of The Press found Classic Christmas a "harmless but vapid" collection of generic pop, jazz and crooning, packed with familiar seasonal standards and overproduced arrangements. He highlighted "O Holy Night" with Rolando Villazón as a standout and praised McElderry’s vocal ability, but criticised the album's blandness and described it as more of a "stocking filler" than an essential Christmas record.
Commercial performance Classic Christmas achieved moderate commercial success, particularly in the United Kingdom. During its first week of release, the album sold 34,043 copies at retail in the UK,Alan Jones, Official Album Chart analysis: Olly Murs becomes 10th X Factor No. 1 From Music Week (4 December 2011). Retrieved on 5 December 2011. allowing it to debut at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. It also performed strongly in Scotland, reaching number 16 on the Scottish Albums Chart. In Ireland, Classic Christmas had a more limited chart impact, debuting and peaking at number 73 on the Irish Albums Chart. The album received a Gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom, representing 100,000 units based on certification figures.
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Classic Christmas. Joe McElderry – Vocals City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra – Orchestra Brighton Festival Chorus – Choir (1, 3, 5, 7, 8) Brighton Festival Youth Choir – Choir (2, 5) James Morgan – Conductor, producer, Orchestral arrangements and programming, Keyboards, Mixing, Editing (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12) Juliette Pochin – Producer, Mixing, Editing, Orchestral arrangements and programming, Keyboards (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12) Stephen Higgins – Conductor (1, 3, 5, 7, 8) Steven Baker – Producer, Orchestral arrangements and programming (1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11) Kathryn Tickell – Northumbrian Bagpipes Craig Hendry – Bass guitar Per Lindvall – Drums Friðrik Karlsson – Guitar (1, 4) Andy Greenwood – Trumpet (12) Lucia Svehlova – Violin (9) Rolando Villazón – Vocals (5)
Charts + Weekly chart performance for Classic Christmas Chart (2011) Peakposition Irish Albums (IRMA)Archived Irish Albums Chart for the Week Ending 1 December 2011 From Chart-Track. Retrieved on 4 December 2011. 73
Certifications
Release history + Classic Christmas release history Region Date Format Ireland 25 November 2011 United Kingdom 28 November 2011
References