A Christmas Celebration of Hope

Last updated
A Christmas Celebration of Hope
A Christmas Celebration of Hope, B.B. King.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 6, 2001 (2001-11-06)
Genre Blues, holiday [1]
Length48:15
Label MCA
Producer Michael Abene, B.B. King [2]

A Christmas Celebration of Hope is the thirty ninth studio album by American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter B.B. King released in November 2001 through MCA Records. It is a holiday album. [1]

Contents

In the United States, A Christmas Celebration of Hope reached peak positions of number 151 on the Billboard 200, number one on Billboard 's Top Blues Albums chart and number 21 on the Top Holiday Albums chart. The album earned King two Grammy Awards at the 45th Grammy Awards (2003): he, Anthony Daigle and John Holbrook were presented the award for Best Traditional Blues Album and the track "Auld Lang Syne" earned King the award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Composition

A Christmas Celebration of Hope contains 13 tracks totaling approximately 48 minutes in length. Produced by B.B. King himself and recorded in Lafayette, Louisiana at Dockside Recording Studios in June 2001. Some of the songs, including "Merry Christmas, Baby" have roots in blues or rhythm and blues. [1] Nashville String Machine contribute strings to three tracks. [1] King had originally recorded "Christmas Celebration" in 1960. [1] The instrumental "Christmas Love" marks King's only original track on the album (credited as Riley King). [1] The album's closing track, an instrumental version of "Auld Lang Syne", was described by Richie Unterberger as "funky". [1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

In his review for Allmusic, Richie Unterberger awarded the album 2.5 out of 5 stars and called the collection an "adequate, good-humored reprisal". Unterberger thought only "Please Come Home for Christmas" was overproduced and concluded his review with the statement: "It's hardly the first King you'll pull off your shelf, and not the first R&B Christmas album you'll turn to either, but you could do worse in the holiday season." [1]

A Christmas Celebration of Hope earned King the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 45th Grammy Awards (2003); awards were also presented to Anthony Daigle and John Holbrook. [3] The track "Auld Lang Syne" earned King the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. [3]

Track listing

B.B. King in 2006; "Christmas Love" is credited to King B.B. King, 2006-06-26.jpg
B.B. King in 2006; "Christmas Love" is credited to King
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Please Come Home for Christmas" Charles Brown, Gene Redd4:53
2."Lonesome Christmas" Lloyd Glenn 3:04
3."Back Door Santa" Clarence Carter, Marcus Daniel3:26
4."Christmas in Heaven"Billy Ward4:49
5."I'll Be Home for Christmas" Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram 3:47
6."To Someone That I Love"Brown5:01
7."Christmas Celebration" B.B. King 3:38
8."Merry Christmas, Baby" Page Cavanaugh, Jack Smalley 3:56
9."Christmas Love"King2:57
10."Blue Decorations" Jerry Gillespie 3:27
11."Christmas Comes But Once a Year" Amos Milburn, Albert Shubert4:15
12."Bringing in a Brand New Year"Brown2:41
13."Auld Lang Syne" Robert Burns, traditional2:21

Track listing adapted from Allmusic. [1]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Allmusic. [1]

Charts

In the United States, A Christmas Celebration of Hope reached peak positions of number 151 on the Billboard 200, number one on Billboard 's Top Blues Albums chart and number 21 on the Top Holiday Albums chart. [2] [3] The album marked King's fourth to reach the Top Blues Albums chart's number one position. [4] A Christmas Celebration of Hope remained on the Billboard 200 and Top Holiday Albums charts for three weeks; the album remained on the Top Blues Albums chart for ten weeks, including five at the number one position. [2] [4]

Chart (2001)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 151
U.S. Top Blues Albums1
U.S. Top Holiday Albums21

Related Research Articles

Mickey & Sylvia American R&B duo

Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Vanterpool, who later became Sylvia Robinson. They are best known for their number-one R&B single "Love Is Strange" in 1957.

(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 Song first recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" is a popular rhythm and blues song, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. The lyrics follow the path of U.S. Route 66 (US 66), which traversed the western two-thirds of the U.S. from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California. The song became a standard, with several renditions appearing on the record charts.

"The Christmas Song" is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé.

<i>Christmas Extraordinaire</i> 2001 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Christmas Extraordinaire is Mannheim Steamroller's sixth Christmas album overall and the group's fourth Christmas studio album. The album was originally released in 2001. The song "O Tannenbaum" features a lead vocal by Johnny Mathis.

<i>Faith: A Holiday Album</i> 1999 studio album by Kenny G

Faith: A Holiday Album is the second holiday album and tenth studio album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records on November 16, 1999 and peaked at number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, number 4 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, number 5 on the Internet Albums chart, and number 6 on the Billboard 200. The album also received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album.

<i>Wishes: A Holiday Album</i> 2002 studio album by Kenny G

Wishes: A Holiday Album is the third Christmas album and twelfth studio album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records on October 22, 2002, and peaked at number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz chart, number 2 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, number 29 on the Billboard 200, number 34 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 64 on the Internet Albums chart. It was the second best-selling Christmas album in the US for 2002 with sales of 501,000 copies for the year.

James Eddie Lewis was an American soul singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. He was a member of the Drifters in the 1960s, worked as a songwriter and producer with Ray Charles, and wrote songs for Z. Z. Hill among many others.

<i>Freedom Suite</i> (The Rascals album) 1969 studio album by The Rascals

Freedom Suite is the fifth studio album by rock band The Rascals, released on March 17, 1969. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and also reached number 40 on the Billboard Black Albums chart, the last Rascals album to appear there.

The Millennium Prayer 1999 single by Cliff Richard

"The Millennium Prayer" is a song recorded by English singer Cliff Richard, in which the words of the Lord's Prayer are set to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne". It was released in November 1999 as a charity single in the lead-up to the new millennium, hence the name. The single became a surprise hit reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart, number two in Australia and New Zealand, number three in Ireland, and the top 20 in a number of European countries.

<i>A Swingin Christmas</i> (Featuring The Count Basie Big Band) 2008 studio album by Tony Bennett & The Count Basie Big Band

A Swingin' Christmas is a Christmas album by Tony Bennett, released in 2008, that features the Count Basie Big Band. Bennett's daughter Antonia duets with him on one track.

<i>Merry Christmas II You</i> 2010 studio album by Mariah Carey

Merry Christmas II You is the second Christmas album and thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Mariah Carey. It was released by Island Records on November 2, 2010. Recording began in April 2010 and continued while Carey became pregnant. She was the executive producer of Merry Christmas II You and worked with various record producers, including Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Randy Jackson, James Poyser, Marc Shaiman, James "Big Jim" Wright and Johnny "Sev" Severin of RedOne. The album features Carey's mother Patricia Carey as a guest vocalist on "O Come All Ye Faithful" / "Hallelujah Chorus". The album serves as a sequel to her fourth studio album Merry Christmas (1994). It is composed of original songs and covers, ballads and uptempo tracks, incorporating R&B, soul and house music in its composition.

<i>Just Chillin</i> 2002 studio album by Norman Brown

Just Chillin' is the fifth studio album by American guitarist and singer Norman Brown, released in July 2002 through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Paul Brown and features guest vocal performances by Miki Howard, Michael McDonald, Chanté Moore and Debi Nova. Guest instrumentalists include Rick Braun, percussionists Lenny Castro and Paulinho da Costa, Jerry Hey, Pino Palladino on bass, James Poyser, and Bill Reichenbach Jr. on trombone. The album contains six tracks written or co-written by Brown, a cover version of Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait Awhile" and three additional songs.

Auld Lang Syne (The New Years Anthem) 2010 single by Mariah Carey

"Auld Lang Syne " is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album/thirteenth studio album, Merry Christmas II You (2010). The second single from the album, an extended play consisting of nine remixes was released by Island on December 14, 2010. Using the public domain poem "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns, Carey along with Randy Jackson and Johnny "Sev" Severin composed a new arrangement, added lyrics and re-titled it. The track garnered a negative response from critics, all of whom disliked how Carey had re-composed the poem into a house song. An accompanying music video was released featuring a pregnant Carey singing in front of a background of exploding fireworks. "Auld Lang Syne " charted on the lower regions of the South Korean international singles charts and at number nine on the US Holiday Digital Songs chart.

<i>Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music</i> 2002 studio album by Various Artists

Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music is an album of Cajun music by various pop and rock musical artists, released in 2002. It reached number 6 on the Billboard Top World Music chart and was nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 45th Grammy Awards.

<i>Holiday Soul</i> (Bobby Timmons album) 1964 studio album by Bobby Timmons

Holiday Soul is an album of Christmas music by the American jazz pianist Bobby Timmons, recorded in 1964 and released on the Prestige label.

<i>A Retrospective</i> (Pink Martini album) 2011 compilation album by Pink Martini

A Retrospective is the first compilation album by the American group Pink Martini, released in September 2011 in the United Kingdom and the following month in the United States, Australia and Canada. The album contains twenty-one tracks from six studio albums. Guest artists include Michael Feinstein, French singer and songwriter Georges Moustaki and director Gus Van Sant ; the compilation also features remixes by New York City disc jockey Johnny Dynell and Hiroshi Wada.

<i>Blues on Top of Blues</i> 1968 studio album by B.B. King

Blues on Top of Blues is the fourteenth studio album by B.B. King released in 1968 on BluesWay BLS-6011. The album reached a peak position of number 46 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.

Lauren Daigle American singer and songwriter

Lauren Ashley Daigle is an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter. After being signed to the label Centricity Music, she released her debut album, How Can It Be, in 2015. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, has been certified Platinum by the RIAA and produced three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Christian Airplay chart.

<i>Christmas with Friends</i> (India.Arie and Joe Sample album) 2015 studio album by India.Arie and Joe Sample

Christmas with Friends is a collaborative Christmas album by American singer India.Arie and American pianist Joe Sample. It was released on October 16, 2015, through Motown and Soulbird Music. Arie worked as one of the album's executive producers with American pianist John Burke and American musician Dave Koz. Sample contributed to four of the songs, but died from mesothelioma before the album's completion. After placing the project on hold for a year, Arie decided to collaborate with other artists to complete it.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Unterberger, Richie. "A Christmas Celebration of Hope". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "A Christmas Celebration of Hope". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "A Christmas Celebration of Hope: Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Chart Beat". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved July 3, 2012.