Merry Christmas to You is a holiday studio album by American contemporary Christian music band Sidewalk Prophets, which was released by Fervent Records on September 24, 2013, and it was produced by Casey Brown, Ian Eskelin and Jonathan Smith. The album has seen commercial charting successes, as well as, it garnered some positive to mixed critical attention.
| Merry Christmas to You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 24, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Contemporary Christian music, Christmas music | |||
| Length | 43:57 | |||
| Label | Fervent | |||
| Producer | Casey Brown, Ian Eskelin, Jonathan Smith | |||
| Sidewalk Prophets chronology | ||||
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Background edit
The album was released on September 24, 2013 by Fervent Records, and it was produced by Casey Brown, Ian Eskelin and Jonathan Smith. This was the band's first holiday album.
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| CCM Magazine |   [1] |
| Christian Music Review | [2] |
| Christian Music Zine |  [3] |
| Indie Vision Music | [4] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [5] |
| New Release Tuesday | [6] |
Merry Christmas to You garnered some mixed and positive reviews from music critics. At CCM Magazine, Grace S. Aspinwall rated the album three stars out of five, which she noted that the released comes "With a little more big-band flair, Sidewalk Prophets has put together a fun, entertaining ensemble of Christmas music."[1] Kevin Davis of New Release Tuesday rated the album three-and-a-half out of five stars, and stated that some of the Christmas hymns were done in a reverential way.[6] At Jesus Freak Hideout, Alex "Tincan" Caldwell rated the album three stars out of five, which he wrote that the album had some mistakes, yet noting the band put listeners into a good vibe with the music done with an emphasis on the holiday cheer.[5]
Jonathan Andre of Indie Vision Music rated the album three stars out of five, which he criticized the lack of spiritually relevant traditional Christmas songs offered on the album, however he alluded to how the album was fun and "heartfelt".[4] At Christian Music Review, Laura Chambers rated the album four stars out of five, which she alluded to how this was the kind of Christmas album listeners need, and not that "obnoxious[ly]" overplayed same Christmas carol on the radio.[2] In addition, Chambers liked the "non-message" material on the album.[2] Joshua Andre rated the album four-and-a-half out of five stars, and evoked that this was the most holistic holiday album of the year, which he declared was a "hit".[3]
Commercial performance edit
Merry Christmas to You reached No. 177 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and it was also No. 8 on Billboard's Christian Albums chart.
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What a Glorious Night" | Casey Brown, David Frey, Ben McDonald, Jonathan Smith | 5:04 |
| 2. | "White Christmas" (featuring Francesca Battistelli) | Irving Berlin | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Give Me Christmas" | Dave Barnes, Frey, McDonald | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin | 4:25 |
| 5. | "Hey Moon" | Frey, McDonald, Sam Mizell | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Merry Christmas to You" | Frey, McDonald | 3:02 |
| 7. | "Holly Jolly Christmas" | Johnny Marks | 3:26 |
| 8. | "What Child Is This" | Traditional | 3:20 |
| 9. | "That Spirit of Christmas" | Parnell Davison, Mable John, Joel Webster | 4:23 |
| 10. | "Silent Night" | Traditional | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Hope Was Born This Night" | Frey, McDonald | 3:54 |
| 12. | "Because It's Christmas" | Frey, McDonald | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 43:57 | ||
Charts edit
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[7] | 177 |
| US Christian Albums (Billboard)[8] | 8 |
References edit
- ^ a b Aspinwall, Grace S. (December 1, 2013). "Sidewalk Prophets: 'Merry Christmas To You', (Fervent Records)" (PDF). CCM Magazine. Salem Publishing. p. 74. ISSN 1524-7848. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
- ^ a b c Chambers, Laura (October 27, 2013). "Sidewalk Prophets "Merry Christmas To You"". Christian Music Review. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Andre, Joshua (December 3, 2013). "Sidewalk Prophets – Merry Christmas To You (Review)". Christian Music Zine. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Andre, Jonathan (October 12, 2013). "Sidewalk Prophets – Merry Christmas To You | Reviews". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Caldwell, Alex "Tincan" (December 4, 2013). "Sidewalk Prophets, "Merry Christmas To You" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Davis, Kevin (November 22, 2013). "What Christmas is all about". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ "Sidewalk Prophets Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ "Sidewalk Prophets Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2013.