2009 holiday release, the first Christmas album from the
superstar vocalist. Includes duets with Reba McEntire, Natalie
Cole, Mary J. Blige and The Muppets. Millions will rejoice this
holiday season with the much-anticipated release of Andrea
Bocelli's, My Christmas. The album is a heart-warming collection
of songs destined to become a holiday classic for years to come.
Produced by the legendary Grammy-Award winner David Foster, the
CD features the singer's unmistakable soaring vocals alongside
duets with his special guests.
From the Artist
---------------
"I have long dreamed of a holiday album that
captures the beautiful traditions of the holiday season. Every
year these songs have brought incredible joy to my family and I,
and it is my hope to give back that same joy by making this
album," commented Bocelli.
"The time comes for every singer to record a Christmas album.
That's probably because Christmas is the most beautiful holiday
of the year", says Andrea.
" a Christmas album means good music; music
that gives joy, and instils a sense of peace," says Andrea
Bocelli.
From `I believe', which the tenor performed before the visibly
moved Pope John Paul II, to `Adeste Fideles', the CD is an
unmissable collection of songs each of us have sung at least
once, carefully selected by Bocelli, who has been working on this
project for a couple of years. Song after song, the CD
constitutes the sound track of Christmas throughout the world,
free of cheap adulation and commercial cunning. `My Christmas' is
Christmas as it was sung by our forehers, with the same
atmosphere of peaceful serenity and pleasant expectation, seeking
closeness with our loved ones and a relaxed escape from the
horrors of the world. Particular merit certainly goes to those
who prepared the scores, remaining faithful where possible to the
original, and to David Foster, one of the most famous producers
of our day, and the only one to have worked with all the greatest
pop artists, from Celine Dion to Michael Jackson. In "My
Christmas", Foster has arranged a number of traditional carols,
such as "Angels we have heard on high" and `What child is this",
with unique ability and a remarkable lightness of touch, adapting
each track so as to render them almost a first edition. That
Foster, he always manages to surprise us. Working alongside him,
the great maestro Renato Serio also arranged two traditional
carols deep-rooted in our hearts: `Adeste fideles'.
But above all, it is the voice of Andrea Bocelli that stands out,
once again engaged in a new feat. "This repertoire requires a
broad vocal range," says Andrea, "from soft, almost whispered
tones, to a stronger, more powerful voice." In `White Christmas',
Bocelli's voice is graceful, and tenderly soft. In `Santa Claus
is coming to town', it becomes irresistibly playful, making it
almost impossible not to sing along. In `God bless us everyone',
taken from Disney's Christmas blockbuster `A Christmas carol', we
discover Bocelli the performer. The film, directed by Robert
Zemeckis and starring an amazing cast (Jim Carrey, Colin Firth,
Bob Hoskins, Gary Oldman and Robin Wright Penn), takes its
inspiration from Charles Dickens' famous short story, and is set
to become one of the most successful end of year blockbusters.
Bocelli's performance in `God bless us everyone' (composed by
Alan Silvestri and Glenn Ballard) blends the magic of Christmas
with the tenderness of the phrase that gives it its name, spoken
by Tiny Tim at the end of Dickens' short story.
But it is in `The Lord's prayer', arranged by David Foster and
performed with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, that Bocelli really
outdoes himself, in an imposing, moving performance of unique
intensity. A masterpiece that will leave its mark, without the
shadow of a doubt, in the history of music. However, the greatest
challenge is to win over the little ones, and "My Christmas" is
certain to please them too, not just their parents. Indeed,
Bocelli's hope for this project was that families, united for
Christmas, should listen to this music together. As he explains:
"I drew inspiration from the voices that fill the churches; the
voices that can be heard at family sing-alongs, on Christmas
day". And as soon as the stereo starts playing `Silent night', a
family sing-along is a dead cert.
Like all great gifts, `My Christmas' too has surprising and
unexpected elements: its duets. For this album, Andrea Bocelli, a
popular singer appreciated worldwide, has called on a number of
friends to create several miniature masterpieces. In `I believe',
he is accompanied by the Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, a
genuine revelation of recent years. In `Blue Christmas', Reba
McEntire, the queen of country music with 55m albums sold
worldwide, adapted the fullness of her voice, with a trace of
pop, to a particularly difficult track. Mary J. Blige recorded
her parts of `What child is this' in a day, in New York, in a
register that blends remarkably well with Bocelli's, resulting in
a duet that will rock the American world, and not only that. The
same may be said of `The Christmas song', to which Natalie Cole
brings a touch of genuine, warm soul and R&B. But The duet with
the Muppets, in Jingle Bells, is certain to make the greatest
splash worldwide, especially with children, and to become a
version sung and played for years to come.
In a word, `My Christmas' is a winning album, expertly arranged,
played and sung, becoming a point of reference for the entire
genre. And from now on, no one, listeners and performers alike,
will be able to forget this Christmas, as sung by Andrea Bocelli.
Paolo Giordano
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