Star Bright is the fourth studio album and first Christmas album by Vanessa Williams, released on November 5, 1996, on Mercury Records. It achieved success as one of the best-selling holiday albums of 1996 and '97. It peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200, #24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #5 on the Top Holiday Albums. The album went on to be nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album[1] and was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.

Star Bright
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 5, 1996 (1996-11-05)
Recorded1993, 1995–1996
Genre
Length52:17
LabelMercury
Producer
Vanessa Williams chronology
The Sweetest Days
(1994)
Star Bright
(1996)
Next
(1997)
Singles from Star Bright
  1. "Do You Hear What I Hear"/"The Little Drummer Boy"
    Released: October 22, 1996

Although no official singles were released from the album, "Do You Hear What I Hear/The Little Drummer Boy" reached #15 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.[citation needed] A video was shot in 1993 for "What Child Is This?" that was originally featured on the A&M Records Christmas compilation A Very Special Christmas 2. The album was re-released in 2003 as The Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters: The Best of Vanessa Williams.

The Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters: The Best of Vanessa Williams
Studio album by
Released2003
GenreChristmas
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

Track listing edit

  1. "Do You Hear What I Hear/The Little Drummer Boy" (K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Noel Regeny, Gloria Shayne, Harry Simeone, Traditional) - 5:02
  2. "Star Bright" (Rob Mathes) - 3:37
  3. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Shout)" (Mathes, Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley) - 5:34
  4. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (With Bobby Caldwell) (Frank Loesser) - 5:51
  5. "I Wonder as I Wander" (Mathes) - 4:40
  6. "Sleep Well, Little Children" (Alan Bergman, Leon Klatzkin) - 0:40
  7. "Angels We Have Heard on High" (Traditional) - 4:58
  8. "The First Noel" (William Sandys) - 4:28
  9. "What Child Is This?" (William Chatterton Dix, Traditional) - 3:52
  10. "Gracious Good Shepherd" (Mathes) - 4:15
  11. "Go Tell It on the Mountain/Mary Had a Baby" (Public domain, Traditional) - 5:48
  12. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram) - 3:32

Charts edit

Weekly chart performance for Star Bright
Chart (1996) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[2] 36
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[3] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] 24

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[5] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ "Complete List of Academy Voter Picks". Los Angeles Times. January 7, 1998. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  2. ^ "Vanessa Williams Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "Vanessa Williams Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "Vanessa Williams Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  5. ^ "American album certifications – Vanessa Williams – Star Bright". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 13 December 2018.