Christmas Spirit (Richard Marx album)

Christmas Spirit
Studio album by Richard Marx
Released October 22, 2012
Recorded Ocean Way Recording, Sound Stage, Blackbird Studios, Renegade Studio.
Genre Christmas
Length 51:54 standard
64:42 Target edition
Label Zanzibar Records, TourDeForce Productions
Producer Richard Marx
Richard Marx chronology
A Night Out With Friends
(2012)		 Christmas Spirit
(2012)		 Seven & Seven
(2012)
Singles from Christmas Spirit
  1. "Christmas Spirit"
    Released: November 2011
  2. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
    Released: October 18, 2012
  3. "Little Drummer Boy"
    Released: October 27, 2012
  4. "Christmas Mornings"
    Released: November 3, 2012
  5. "O Holy Night"
    Released: December 2012
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Christmas Spirit is a Christmas/Holiday seasonal release album by Richard Marx, released in October 2012. Five tracks of the album previously appeared on his 2011 release, The Christmas EP. It reached #181 on the Billboard album chart and got as high as #21 on Billboard's Christmas Albums chart.

Two of its new tracks became Top 20 Adult Contemporary hits.[1] "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" is based on Casting Crowns arrangement of the song from their Peace On Earth album. Christmas Spirit yielded five singles, including "Christmas Spirit", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "The Little Drummer Boy", "Christmas Mornings" and "O Holy Night". The album features duets with Kenny Loggins, Sara Watkins and Sara Niemietz.[2]

Marx returned to the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart's Top Ten chart with Little Drummer Boy in December 2012.[3]

Track listing

  1. "The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé, Bob Wells)
  2. "Christmas Spirit" (Marx, Fee Waybill)
  3. "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow/Mark Hall/Dale Oliver/Bernie Herms)
  4. "Let There Be Peace On Earth" (duet with Kenny Loggins) (Jill Miller, Sy Miller)
  5. "O Come All Ye Faithful" (unknown)
  6. "Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine Kennicott Davis/Harry Simeone/Henry Onorati)
  7. "O Holy Night" (Adolphe Adam, Placide Cappeau)
  8. "What Child Is This" (William Chatterton Dix)
  9. "Silent Night" (duet with Sara Watkins) (Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr)
  10. "Christmas Mornings" (Marx, Dave Grusin)
  11. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (duet with Sara Niemietz) (John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie)
  12. "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin)
  13. "Alleluia" (Larry Gatlin)

Bonus tracks

  1. "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes/Jay W. Johnson)
  2. "Silver Bells" (Jay Livingston/Ray Evans)
  3. "Jingle Bell Rock" (Joe Beal/Jim Boothe)
  4. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin)

Chart performance

Chart (2012) Peak
position
The Billboard 200 181

Album credits

  • Steve Brewster – drums (2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)
  • Cliff Colnot – string arrangement (9)
  • David Davidson – arrangements (5, 8), string arrangement (8, 12)
  • Mark Hill – bass (2, 3, 4, 6-9, 11, 12)
  • Kenny Loggins – duet vocals (4)
  • Brandon Marx – background vocals (3, 5, 7, 13)
  • Cynthia Rhodes Marx – background vocals (5)
  • Jesse Marx – background vocals (3, 5, 7, 13)
  • Lucas Marx – background vocals (3, 5, 7, 13)
  • Richard Marx – lead vocals, background vocals (2, 6, 8, 13), arrangements (2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12), keyboards (2, 6), additional arrangement (3), piano (3, 4, 10), acoustic guitar (3, 4, 9), electric guitar (3, 7), string arrangement (4, 7, 10)
  • Ruth Marx – background vocals (5)
  • Steve Mauldin – string arrangement (11)
  • Jerry McPherson – electric guitar (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12)
  • Sara Niemietz – duet vocals (11)
  • Michael Omartian – piano (2, 7, 9)
  • Will Sayles – drums (4, 6)
  • Matt Scannell – nylon guitar & solo (8)
  • Opal Staples – background vocals (2)
  • Sara Watkins – duet vocals (9), fiddle (9)
  • Jason Webb – arrangements (1), piano (1, 5, 8, 11, 12)
  • Simbryt Whittington – background vocals (2)

Production

  • Producer – Richard Marx
  • Engineered & Mixed by Justin Niebank
  • Additional Engineering – Drew Bollman, Chip Matthews, Seth Morton, Alan Parker, Matt Prock & Nate Yarborough.
  • Recorded at Ocean Way Recording, Sound Stage Studios & Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN); Renegade Studios (Chicago, IL).
  • Mastered by Benny Quinn
  • Photography – Nels Israelson
  • Management – Diarmuid Quinn

Miscellaneous

Album was dedicated to grandmother Lois Guildoo and mother-in-law Edna Rhodes

References

  1. 1 2 "Richard Marx Christmas Spirit". Awards. AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  2. ↑ "Christmas Spirit: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Gary Trust (3 December 2012). "Barry Manilow, Richard Marx Return To AC Top 10". Billboard (magazine). Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
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