Holly & Ivy

Holly & Ivy
A woman is shown in a black dress in front of a brown background. On the left-hand side of the picture, the words Natalie Cole are written in a large, red, cursive font over the images of holly and ivy. The words Holly & Ivy are written in a smaller, green font above this.
Studio album by Natalie Cole
Released October 4, 1994 (1994-10-04)
Recorded April 1994[1]
Genre
Length 46:52
Label
Producer
Natalie Cole chronology
Take a Look
(1993)		 Holly & Ivy
(1994)		 Stardust
(1996)
Singles from Holly & Ivy
  1. "No More Blue Christmas'[2]"
    Released: 1994

Holly & Ivy is a 1994 Christmas album and sixteenth overall by American singer Natalie Cole. It was released on October 4, 1994, by Elektra; it is Cole's first album featuring Christmas music and serves as a follow-up to Take a Look (1993). Cole co-produced the album with American music producer Tommy LiPuma, with whom she worked on Unforgettable... with Love. Holly & Ivy consists of twelve tracks, including eleven covers of Christmas standards and carols, and one original song written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser. Cole promoted the album as "non-traditional" in interviews and performances.

Upon release, critics gave generally positive reviews of the album, praising its composition and Cole's interpretations of the covered material. The album was moderately successful in the United States and was certified gold by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 20, 1996, for 500,000 sales shipments. The album peaked at number 36 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album spawned one single: "No More Blue Christmas". In support of the album, Cole filmed a television special, Natalie Cole's Untraditional Traditional Christmas, at State University of New York Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York; it premiered on WNET on December 7, 1994.

Background

The album was inspired by her father Nat King Cole's (pictured above) album The Magic of Christmas (1960).

In an interview with Clarence Waldron from Jet, Cole said the idea of recording a Christmas album started after a telephone call from producer and longtime friend Michael Masser, with whom Cole had worked on the songs "Someone That I Used to Love" from the 1980 album Don't Look Back and "Miss You Like Crazy". Cole described the telephone call as unexpected; Masser told her, "I've got this beautiful Christmas song I wrote just for you". When they met, Messer played "No More Blue Christmas"; after the session they both thought about recording a Christmas album. The decision to record a Christmas album left Cole "running around in April, looking for Christmas songs".[1]

One of the main inspirations of the record came from her father's Christmas album The Magic of Christmas (1960). Cole called the album one of "the nicest, warmest Christmas albums that I've heard". She described the original version of "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" as "a darling sweet song" that has yet to be imitated by other original Christmas songs.[1] In an interview with NPR, Cole said in the beginning of her career, "the last thing [she] wanted to do was sing [her] dad's music" and that "it took 15 years into [her] career before [she] felt comfortable and confident enough to even attempt at singing my father's music".[3] The album includes three cover version of her father's songs; "Caroling, Caroling", "The First Noel", and "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" done in tribute to him. Clarence Waldron of Jet said the album was "keeping the holiday spirit in the family".[1] Cole would later re-record "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" as a posthumous duet with her father on her 1999 Christmas album The Magic of Christmas.[4] The song also appears on Cole's 2008 Christmas album (Caroling, Caroling: Christmas with Natalie Cole) and her 1995 collaborative Christmas live album with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras (A Celebration of Christmas).

Cole expressed hope that the album would remind her fans about "the true spirit of the holiday season". She wanted it to communicate that Christmas is "a time for families to reflect and not just wait until the holidays to be a family".[1] Cole's twin sister Timolin Cole said, "Christmas Eve has always been a magical time with Natalie" when she could connect with family over holiday traditions.[5]

Composition
"Jingle Bells"
While recording "Jingle Bells," Cole described taking an "approach [that] was very 40ish, very Andrew Sisters, very fun and up." [1]
"No More Blue Christmas'"
"No More Blue Christmas" was written by Michael Masser and inspired Cole to record the Christmas album.
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Holly & Ivy is a Christmas album influenced by R&B and gospel elements. Cole said she wanted to explore other genres, saying, "she just likes to expand a little, every now and then" and staying true to her soulful roots. She described the album as "a non traditional album" and said, "Though we do 'Silent Night', 'Merry Christmas Baby', and a wonderful gospel version of 'Joy to the World', (featuring L.A.'s Friendly Baptist Church choir) we move around a lot".[1] In its biography of Cole, Billboard identified the album and the following album Stardust as "continu[ing] Cole's exploration of American pop standards".[6]

Songs

The album's opening track is "Jingle Bells," a classic Christmas song that is reinvented with a "jazzy, sassy" sound.[1] The second and third tracks are covers of Nat King Cole's "Caroling, Caroling" and "The First Noel" respectively. The fourth song is "No More Blue Christmas'"; Billboard called the song "a soulful, torch-like burner".[2] "Christmas Medley" contains excerpts from "Jingle Bell Rock", "Winter Wonderland", "Little Drummer Boy", and "I'll Be Home for Christmas". Billboard picked out "a pure blues 'Merry Christmas Baby " as a highlight of the album.[2]

Jet described Cole's interpretation of the seventh track, "Joy to the World", as "tak[ing] listeners to church on her gospel flavored rendition",[1] while Billboard called it "rollicking".[2] The eighth and ninth tracks are covers of Vera Lynn's "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot" and Ida Zecco's "A Song for Christmas" respectively. The tenth track is a cover of "Silent Night". "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" is the third and final cover of Nat King Cole on the album; David Browne of Entertainment Weekly described the decision to cover "The Christmas Song" with no vocals from her father benefited the song, which he said worked better "alone, not as a duet with the dead".[7] Jet called Cole "one of the sweetest songbirds around on the touching Christmas ballad, 'Holly and Ivy' ".[1]

Promotion

A woman in a black dress performing in a Christmas decorated stage
Cole singing "Winter Wonderland" on Natalie Cole's Untraditional Traditional Christmas. During promotion of Holly & Ivy, Cole wears subdued clothing to match the album's "untraditional" quality.[7]

Cole promoted Holly & Ivy by headlining a special edition of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) series Great Performances, titled Natalie Cole's Untraditional Traditional Christmas; the program was directed by Patricia Birch and was filmed at the State University of New York Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York. It featured special appearances by the New York Restoration Choir and Sesame Street character Elmo.[8] The show premiered on WNET on December 7, 1994, and was later was released on a VHS home video cassette that was distributed by Warner Music Vision.[9]

The Christmas special served as the album's primary promotional medium; it received a lukewarm reception from critics. Chris Willman from the Los Angeles Times said the program's title was misleading because "it's hard to find anything the slightest bit untraditional about [it]". Willman commended the 1960s influence reminiscent of her father's Christmas songs and said the special was "a good-enough live video counterpart" to the album with an obvious inclusion of 'The Christmas Song' ".[10] John J. O'Conner of The New York Times gave it a negative review, saying, "a couple of new songs are forgettable" and describing Cole's performance as "sweetly, and somewhat lifelessly", and the production as unable to leave a lasting impression on the viewers. O'Connor also said Cole's rendition of "The Christmas Song" was the highlight of the show and, "Ms. Cole once again dips in the repertory of her incomparable father". He compared the program to Perry Como's Irish Christmas and said both had "the same lulling level".[11]

"No More Blue Christmas'" was released as the lead single from the album. Cole promoted the single with a performance on her Christmas special.[12] Following Cole's death on December 31, 2015, PBS released a statement saying "we are grateful to have been able to capture [Cole's] extraordinary artistry for generations to come" through her Great Performances solo specials including her Christmas special.[13]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Entertainment WeeklyB[7]
Billboard(favorable)[2]

Holly & Ivy was released in October 1994 and received positive reviews from music critics. Reviews frequently made comparisons with Cole's father's album The Magic of Christmas. AllMusic's Robert Taylor gave the album three stars out of five, and said Cole's album "does not have the same 'classic' quality of her dad's 'The Christmas Album' ", but described it as a "fine outing"; he further praised Cole's choice of holiday classics and lesser known songs such as "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot" and "No More Blue Christmas".[14] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a "B" rating, praising the possible influence from her appearance on Frank Sinatra's Duets and her ability to make "the usual yuletide tunes brassy and bustling; when she and the musicians swagger through 'Winter Wonderland', it's like Christmas Eve at the Copa"; Browne also wrote about Cole's decision to stay away from traditionally Christmas images and sounds, instead "opt[ing] for a simple black evening dress on the cover" in comparison to Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas, which was released the same year. He said Cole's voice stays "warm and toasty" even when the material is lowered "from overly gushy arrangements".[7] Billboard's review, which was edited by Paul Verna, Marilyn A. Gillen, and Peter Cronin, described the album as the "rarest of Christmas albums: an elegant set with appeal that could outlast the season".[2] Jet's Clarence Waldron said the album "already has become a top favorite among music lovers this season".[1]

Commercial performance

Holly & Ivy became a moderate commercial success in the United States, peaking on the Billboard 200 at number 36[15] and on Billboard's R&B Albums chart at number 20.[16] It also peaked on the U.S. Top Holiday Albums at number 6, on February 27, 2013, roughly nineteen years after its release, becoming Cole's only Christmas album to appear on that chart.[17] The album did not chart outside the United States.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Jingle Bells"  James Pierpont 3:34
2. "Caroling, Caroling"  Alfred Burt, Wihla Hutson 3:08
3. "The First Noel"  William Sandys 4:23
4. "No More Blue Christmas'"  Gerry Goffin, Michael Masser 4:21
5. "Christmas Medley: Jingle Bell Rock, Winter Wonderland, Little Drummer Boy, I'll Be Home for Christmas"  Joesph Beal, Felix Bernard, James Booth, Katherine Davis, Walter Kent, Henry Onorati, Buck Ram, Harry Simeone, Dick Smith 6:08
6. "Merry Christmas Baby"  Lou Baxter, Charles Brown, Johnny Moore 3:24
7. "Joy to the World"  Lou Baxter, Charles Brown, Johnny Moore 2:49
8. "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot"  Michael Carr, Tommie Connor, Jimmy Leach 3:04
9. "A Song for Christmas"  Carroll Coates 3:24
10. "Silent Night"  Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr 5:02
11. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)"  Mel Tormé, Robert Wells 3:38
12. "The Holly and the Ivy"  Traditional 3:57
Total length:
 46:52

Credits and personnel

The following credits are adapted from AllMusic:[18]

  • Catte Adams  – choir/chorus
  • Michael Baird  – drums
  • Alan Broadbent  – arranger, orchestral arrangements, piano
  • Rachel Brook  – choir/chorus
  • Larry Bunker  – percussion
  • John Chiodini  – guitar
  • John Clayton  – arranger
  • Natalie Cole – choir arrangement, executive producer, piano, vocals
  • Les D. Cooper  – engineer
  • Donna Davidson  – choir/chorus
  • Katherine Davis  – choir/chorus
  • Julie Delgado  – choir/chorus
  • Kevin Dorsey  – choir/chorus
  • Blake Ewing  – choir/chorus
  • André Fischer  – arranger, producer
  • Brent Fischer  – percussion
  • Clare Fischer  – arranger
  • Charles Floyd  – choir arrangement, piano
  • Jeff Hamilton  – drums
  • Noel Hazen  – assistant engineer
  • John Hendrickson  – assistant engineer
  • Lee Holdridge  – orchestral arrangements
  • Dorian Holley  – choir/chorus
  • Jim Hughart  – bass
  • Mary Hylan  – choir/chorus
  • Paul Jackson, Jr.  – guitar
  • Angie Jaree  – choir/chorus
  • Gary Jones  – choir/chorus
  • Harold Jones  – drums
  • Bob Joyce  – choir/chorus
  • David Joyce  – choir/chorus
  • Richard Landers  – assistant engineer
  • Tommy LiPuma  – executive producer, producer
  • Bob Loftus  – assistant engineer, engineer
  • Michael Masser  – composer, producer
  • Gene Morford  – choir/chorus
  • Cecille Parker  – stylist
  • Katrina Perkins  – choir/chorus, guest artist
  • Jerry Peters  – arranger
  • JTara Posey  – make-up
  • Gabrielle Raumberger  – art direction
  • Dave Reitzas  – engineer
  • Patrice Rushen  – celeste, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ
  • Doug Sax  – mastering
  • Al Schmitt  – engineer, mixing
  • Don Shelton  – choir/chorus
  • Deborah Silverman-Kern  – assistant producer
  • Sandy Simmons  – choir/chorus
  • Sally Stevens  – choir/chorus
  • Neil Stubenhaus  – bass
  • Shari Sutcliffe  – project coordinator
  • Dylan Tran  – design
  • Terry Trotter  – celeste, piano
  • Phil Upchurch  – guitar
  • Alberto Vazquez  – choir/chorus
  • Cedar Walton  – guest artist, piano
  • Tony Warren  – choir/chorus
  • Jeffrey "Woody" Woodruff  – engineer
  • Jason Yun  – choir/chorus
  • Firooz Zahedi  – photography
  • Janet Zeitoun  – hair stylist

Charts

Chart (1994) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[15] 36
US Catalog Albums (Billboard)[19] 25
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[17] 6
US R&B Albums (Billboard)[16] 20

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[20] Gold 500,000[21]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Release history

The follow release history was adapted from Amazon and AllMusic.[22][23]

Country Date Format Label
United States Elektra, WEA MP3 2010
Audio CD October 25, 1994
Cassette
Canada MP3 2010
Audio CD October 25, 1994
Cassette

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Waldron, Clarence. "Natalie Cole - Cover Story". Jet. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Billboard - Google Books". Google Books. 1994-11-26. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  3. ↑ "Remember Natalie Cole, Who Made a Name All Her Own". NPR. 2016-01-02. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  4. ↑ "The Magic of Christmas". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ Marx, Linda (2016-01-03). "Natalie Cole's Sisters Are Grateful They Got to Spend One Last Christmas with the Singer". People. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  6. ↑ "Natalie Cole - Biography". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Browne, David (1994-11-18). "Music Reviews: Winter Holiday Albums". EW.com. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  8. ↑ "A Cole Christmas : Natalie's Gifts: Singing on PBS and Acting in USA Movie". Los Angeles Times. 1994-12-04. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  9. ↑ "Natalie Cole's untraditional traditional Christmas / produced by David Horn ; directed by Patricia Birch ; a production of Thirteen/WNET and Knight Productions, Inc. [videorecording] / - Version details - Trove". Trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  10. ↑ Willman, Chris (1994-12-07). "Natalie Cole, Singer and Actress, Does Double Duty". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  11. ↑ O'Connor, John J. (1994-12-07). "TELEVISION REVIEW - Keeping Dignity Intact Amid Holiday Specials". New York Times. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  12. ↑ "Natalie Cole LIVE: No More Blue Christmas". 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  13. ↑ "Natalie Cole: In Memoriam". 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  14. 1 2 "Holly & Ivy - Natalie Cole | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 1994-10-25. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  15. 1 2 "Natalie Cole - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  16. 1 2 "Holly & Ivy - Natalie Cole | Awards". AllMusic. 1994-10-25. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  17. 1 2 "Natalie Cole - Chart history". Billboard. 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  18. ↑ "Holly & Ivy - Natalie Cole | Credits". AllMusic. 1994-10-25. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  19. ↑ "Natalie Cole - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  20. ↑ "American album certifications – Natalie Cole – Holly & Ivy". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  21. ↑ "RIAA Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  22. ↑ "Amazon: Holly & Ivy". Amazon. 2016-01-03. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  23. ↑ "Natalie Cole- Holly & Ivy Releases". AllMusic. 2016-01-03. Retrieved 2016-01-02.

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