- Merry Christmas with Love
-
Merry Christmas with Love 
Studio album by Clay Aiken Released November 16, 2004 Recorded 2004
Right Track Recording
New York City, NYGenre Pop Length 39:00 Label RCA Records Producer Phil Ramone
Walter AfanasieffClay Aiken chronology Measure of a Man
(2003)Merry Christmas with Love
(2004)A Thousand Different Ways
(2006)Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
[1]Merry Christmas with Love is Clay Aiken's first Christmas album, released by RCA Records on November 16, 2004. It was certified platinum and was recognized by Billboard as the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of 2004 and the best-selling Christian album of 2005.
The album was re-released on August 18, 2009 on the Sony label.
Aiken has toured four times with his Joyful Noise Tour (2004-2007) to promote this album.
Contents
Sales and chart performance
Merry Christmas with Love debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with about 270,000 copies sold;[2] this was also its peak position on the chart. By the end of 2004, around 1,004,000 copies of the album had been sold,[3] and the album won Billboard awards for the Best-Selling Christmas Album of 2004 and the Best-Selling Christian Album of 2005. The album set a new record for fastest-selling holiday album in the SoundScan era (since March 1991) and tied Céline Dion's record for the highest debut by a holiday album in the history of Billboard magazine.[4]
On January 6, 2005, Merry Christmas with Love was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of one million copies in the U.S.[5] Going into the 2010 Christmas season, 1,416,000 copies had been sold in the U.S.[6] and 2 million worldwide.
Track listing
- "O Holy Night"[1]
- "Winter Wonderland"[2]
- "Silent Night"[3]
- Medley: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"/"O Come All Ye Faithful"[4]
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"[5]
- "Mary, Did You Know?"[6]
- "Joy to the World"[7]
- "The Christmas Song"[8]
- "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day"[9]
- "Merry Christmas with Love"[10]
- "Sleigh Ride"[11]
- "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"[12]
Song notes
- ^ "O, Holy Night" Written by: Adolphe Adam, John Sullivan Dwight / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 3:38
- ^ "Winter Wonderland" Written by: Richard B. Smith, Felix Bernard / Produced by Phil Ramone - 2:49
- ^ "Silent Night" Written by: Franz Gruber, Joseph Mohr / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 2:17
- ^ Medley: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"/"O Come All Ye Faithful" Written by: Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley /Frederick Oakeley, John Francis Wade / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 4:00
- ^ "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Written by: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 3:27
- ^ "Mary Did You Know" Written by: Buddy Greene, Mark Alan Lowry / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 3:20
- ^ "Joy to the World" Written by: Isaac Watts, Lowell Mason / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 2:13
- ^ "The Christmas Song(Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)" Written by: Melvin Torme, Robert Wells / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 2:36
- ^ "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day" Written by: Celine Dion, Ric Wake, Peter Zizzo / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 4:33
- ^ "Merry Christmas with Love" Written by: Greg Wayne Davis, Billy Lee Smiley / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 4:04
- ^ "Sleigh Ride" Written by: Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 3:00
- ^ "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" Written by: Frank Loesser / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 3:01
Personnel
Musicians
- Allan Schwartzberg - drums
- Vinnie Colaiuta - drums
- David Finck - bass
- Nathan East - bass
- Ira Siegel - acoustic guitar
- Jeff Mironov - guitar
- Mike Landau - electric guitar
- Kenny Ascher - piano
- Steve Ferrera - harp, percussion
- Walter Afanasieff - keyboard
- Conesha Mone't - background vocals
- Quiana Parler - background vocals
- Jacob Juttrell - background vocals
- Angela Fisher - background vocals
- Michael McElroy - background vocals
- Clarke Anderson - background vocals
- Darryl Phinnesse - background vocals
- The McCrary Choir - background vocals
- Broadway Inspirational Voices - background vocals
- Kate Chapman - soprano
- Laura Dean - soprano
- Tanesha Gary - soprano
- Catrice Joseph-Hart - soprano
- Gerti Lee James - soprano
- Bertilla Baker - alto
- Tracy Nichole Chapman - alto
- La-Rita Gaskins - alto
- Lucia Giannetta - alto
- Danielle Lee Greaves - alto
- Maurice Lauchner - tenor
- John Eric Parker - tenor
- Glenn Rainey - tenor
- Eliseo Roman - tenor
- Christopher Zelno - tenor
Production
- Andy Zulla - mixing
- Joel Moss - recording
- Mark Valentine - additional recording
- Emanuel Kiriakou - engineer
- Joe Wohlmuth - additional engineering
- David Channing - additional engineering
- Jay Spears - assistant engineer
- Mike Schroffel - assistant engineer
- Glenn Pittman - assistant engineer
- Alex Rodriguez - assistant engineer
- Dave Reitzas - lead vocal engineer
- Jorge Calandrelli - arrangement
- Patrick Williams - arrangement
- Rich Davis - production coordination
- Elena Barere - concert master
- Torrie Zito - conductor
- William Ross - conductor, arranger
- Humberto Gatica - orchestra engineer
- Sandy Decrescent - orchestra contractor
- David Lowe - orchestra contractor
- Jill Dell'Abate production manager
- Joe Yannece - mastering
Studios
Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions Album AC Christian AC 2004 "Winter Wonderland" 13 - Merry Christmas with Love 2005 "O Holy Night" 37 - "Hark the Herald Angels Sing /
O Come All Ye Faithful"27 - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" 32 - "Mary, Did You Know?" 35 32 Tours
2004: The Joyful Noise Tour [7]
- 28-City Holiday concert 2 hour concert (November - December 2004)
- Featured 30 piece orchestras as well as both adult and children's choirs invited from each host city.
- The Joyful Noise Tour's official sponsor was Ronald McDonald House Charities.
2005: The Joyful Noise 2005 Tour [8]
- 36-City, 40-Concert U.S. and Canada tour (November - December 2005)
- The concert featured a traveling cast of actors, singers, and dancers, as well as a supporting cast recruited from each host city, to provide the theatrical component that threaded together the musical performances.
- The opening act and contributing musician was pop-classical pianist William Joseph.
2006: Holiday Tour[9]
- 18-city tour of cities mostly in the eastern U.S. (December 2006)
- Performed with local orchestras, which also opened the concerts with a program of seasonal music.
2007: Christmas in the Heartland[10]
- 21-date eastern U. S. tour began on November 26 in Wichita, Kansas and ended on December 22, 2007 in Merrillville, Indiana.
- Local orchestras performed the music.
- Holiday stories submitted and read by fans were spaced throughout the performance as lead in to 4 of the song selections.[11][12]
Aiken has ended each of his Christmas tours with his signature Christmas song, "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day."
Awards and nominations
Billboard Awards
- 2004: Won - Best Selling Christmas Album - Merry Christmas with Love
- 2005: Won - Best Selling Christian Album - Merry Christmas with Love
American Christian Music Awards
- 2005: Won - Outstanding Yule CD - Merry Christmas with Love
Discography
Main article: Clay Aiken discographyReferences
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Margo Whitmire, "Eminem Thankful To Remain No. 1", Billboard.com, November 24, 2004.
- ^ "Chart Watch Extra: Bring On Christmas!". Billboard. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/43185/chart-watch-extra-bring-on-christmas/. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ Rogers, Steve. Clay Aiken's "Merry Christmas With Love" holiday album debuts to record sales realitytvworld.com. November 29, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-08
- ^ "RIAA Searchable Database - Gold & Platinum Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. http://riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Merry%20Christmas%20with%20Love&artist=Clay%20Aiken&format=ALBUM&debutLP=&category=SOLO&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&awardDescription=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=12&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2010-12-15.
- ^ Mansfield, Brian (December 22, 2010). "Crystal Bowersox's 'Farmer's Daughter' debuts with 58K sales". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2010/12/crystal-bowersoxs-farmers-daughter-debuts-with-58k-sales/1.
- ^ Dreaming of a Clay Christmas © 2004 McDonald’s Corporation (pdf). December 17, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-20
- ^ Kragen, Pam. "Pop nerd Clay Aiken brings 'Joyful Noise' to San Diego." North Country Times. November 9, 2005. Retrieved 2007-06-25 (article archived)
- ^ A Clay Aiken Christmas: Carols & Comedy .americanidolworship.com. December 21st, 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-20
- ^ "Clay Aiken Adds Dates to Magical Holiday Tour 2007." TicketNews.com June 25, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-25
- ^ Aiken's Christmas tour arrives Saturday by Sean T. McMann Poughkeepsie Journal (12/06/07). Retrieved 2008-02-23
- ^ Without any further ado: the Clay Aiken/Poughkeepsie Journal story by Sean T. McMann Sean's Space (12/07/07). Retrieved 2008-02-23
Categories:- Clay Aiken albums
- Albums produced by Phil Ramone
- Albums produced by Walter Afanasieff
- 2004 Christmas albums
- RCA Records Christmas albums
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