Connie Talbot's Christmas Album
Encyclopedia
Connie Talbot's Christmas Album, sometimes referred to as Connie's Christmas Album or just Christmas Album, is the second album from English child singer
Connie Talbot
, released on 24 November 2008. The album is made up of Christmas-themed songs
, and was recorded in the middle of 2008. Shortly after the release, Pinnacle Entertainment, the United Kingdom distributor, went into administration
. Despite this, the album had some success in Asia and the United States, and Talbot's third album, Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic
, featured many of the same tracks. Talbot appeared publicly to promote the album, including an appearance on ITV Central in December, and embarked on a tour, making stops around the world. Critics responded warmly to the album, describing Talbot's voice as "sweet".
. Big band
arrangements on the album included music from Laurence Cottle
Big Band, while the orchestral sections of the more traditional songs were performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. The duet on "When a Child Is Born" was performed by Talbot and Ginger Kwan. Describing the recording of the album, Talbot said "I really liked it. I liked all the songs they picked and everything. It was really good and enjoyable." Five tracks ("Let it Snow!", "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree", "Jingle Bell Rock", "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town" and "Frosty the Snowman") were recorded in the style of a big band
, while the remainder were recorded in a "more traditional" style.
Connie Talbot's Christmas Album was released on 24 November 2008. The album was difficult to obtain in Britain after the distributor, Pinnacle Entertainment, went into administration
. Talbot's mother, Sharon, was quoted as saying "We don't really know what's going to happen at the moment ... We think they'll probably wait and promote the album later this year. It's a shame, but they can still get the album in Asia and the US." In 2009, Talbot's third album, Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic
, was released in the United States, featuring many of the same songs as Connie Talbot's Christmas Album, but with rerecorded vocals.
on 18 December. Talbot appeared at Walsall
's HMV
branch the day after the release to sign copies of the album and meet fans. After the release, Talbot embarked on a promotional tour that made stops around the world, including a performance at Ewha Womans University
in Korea, where Over the Rainbow
had sold over 30,000 copies. Talbot also performed on the A Heart for Children television charity gala in Berlin, Germany, where her performance was described by Viktoria Schiller, writing for The Epoch Times
, as "one of the highlights of the evening". Talbot returned home in mid-December, to have "a quiet family Christmas". Plans were made for a promotional trip to the U.S. in 2009.
sound" associated with "Merry Christmas Everybody", but said that the vocals on "Ave Maria" are "incredible", and that the bonus tracks "really are a bonus". The Leicester Mercury
published a review from a nine-year old critic, Natasha Dattani, who said that Talbot "has a nice voice, it's very cute", and added that "older people, like grandparents, will really like" the album. James Whittle, writing for the South China Morning Post
, described the album as "chock-a-block with old-time favourites", calling Talbot "sweet-voiced".
Despite the problems in the United Kingdom, which left hundreds of copies of the album in warehouses, Amy Bowen of the Walsall Advertiser wrote that the album was proving successful in Asia. In its first week of release, Connie Talbot's Christmas Album sold 4,551 copies worldwide, and, as of December 2009, it has sold 14,913.
Child singer
A child singer is a child who has a career as a singer. Child singers and people who have been child singers include:* From age 2 Judy Garland* From age 4 Donny Osmond* From age 5 Michael Jackson...
Connie Talbot
Connie Talbot
Connie Talbot is an English child singer from Streetly, Aldridge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands. She rose to fame in 2007 when she reached the final of the television talent show Britain's Got Talent, where she was runner-up to Paul Potts...
, released on 24 November 2008. The album is made up of Christmas-themed songs
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
, and was recorded in the middle of 2008. Shortly after the release, Pinnacle Entertainment, the United Kingdom distributor, went into administration
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
. Despite this, the album had some success in Asia and the United States, and Talbot's third album, Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic
Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic
Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic is the third album by British child singer Connie Talbot. Released 13 October 2009 by AAO Music, it features rerecordings of songs from Talbot's previous album, Connie Talbot's Christmas Album, as well as new tracks...
, featured many of the same tracks. Talbot appeared publicly to promote the album, including an appearance on ITV Central in December, and embarked on a tour, making stops around the world. Critics responded warmly to the album, describing Talbot's voice as "sweet".
Recording and release
Talbot's voice was recorded near her home. Other parts of the album were recorded elsewhere in the UK, as well as in the U.S., Bulgaria and Hong Kong. Connie Talbot's Christmas Album contains "a mix of classics and modern Christmas tunes", and was produced by Simon Hill and Rob May, who had previously produced Talbot's debut album, Over the RainbowOver the Rainbow (Connie Talbot album)
Over the Rainbow is Connie Talbot's debut album, released 26 November 2007 by Rainbow Recording Company. It received poor reviews from critics and peaked at #35 on the British charts. Despite this, additional copies of the album had to be pressed after sales were higher than expected...
. Big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
arrangements on the album included music from Laurence Cottle
Laurence Cottle
Laurence Cottle is an electric bass guitarist and composer.-Career:His solo recordings have been mostly in the jazz and jazz-fusion vein, with such notable releases as Five Seasons, Laurence Cottle Quintet Live and others....
Big Band, while the orchestral sections of the more traditional songs were performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. The duet on "When a Child Is Born" was performed by Talbot and Ginger Kwan. Describing the recording of the album, Talbot said "I really liked it. I liked all the songs they picked and everything. It was really good and enjoyable." Five tracks ("Let it Snow!", "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree", "Jingle Bell Rock", "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town" and "Frosty the Snowman") were recorded in the style of a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, while the remainder were recorded in a "more traditional" style.
Connie Talbot's Christmas Album was released on 24 November 2008. The album was difficult to obtain in Britain after the distributor, Pinnacle Entertainment, went into administration
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
. Talbot's mother, Sharon, was quoted as saying "We don't really know what's going to happen at the moment ... We think they'll probably wait and promote the album later this year. It's a shame, but they can still get the album in Asia and the US." In 2009, Talbot's third album, Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic
Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic
Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic is the third album by British child singer Connie Talbot. Released 13 October 2009 by AAO Music, it features rerecordings of songs from Talbot's previous album, Connie Talbot's Christmas Album, as well as new tracks...
, was released in the United States, featuring many of the same songs as Connie Talbot's Christmas Album, but with rerecorded vocals.
Publicity
Before the release of the album, Talbot recorded a "secret concert" at her primary school. The documentary, Christmas with Connie, was shown on ITV CentralCentral Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
on 18 December. Talbot appeared at Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
's HMV
HMV Group
HMV is a British global entertainment retail chain and is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also operates in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index...
branch the day after the release to sign copies of the album and meet fans. After the release, Talbot embarked on a promotional tour that made stops around the world, including a performance at Ewha Womans University
Ewha Womans University
Ewha Womans University is a private women's university in central Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the city's largest institutions of higher learning and currently the world's largest female educational institute. It is one of the best-known universities in South Korea, and often considered to...
in Korea, where Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow (Connie Talbot album)
Over the Rainbow is Connie Talbot's debut album, released 26 November 2007 by Rainbow Recording Company. It received poor reviews from critics and peaked at #35 on the British charts. Despite this, additional copies of the album had to be pressed after sales were higher than expected...
had sold over 30,000 copies. Talbot also performed on the A Heart for Children television charity gala in Berlin, Germany, where her performance was described by Viktoria Schiller, writing for The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times is a multi-language, international media organisation. As a newspaper, the Times has been publishing in Chinese since May 2000. It was founded in 1999 by supporters of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline....
, as "one of the highlights of the evening". Talbot returned home in mid-December, to have "a quiet family Christmas". Plans were made for a promotional trip to the U.S. in 2009.
Critical reception and sales
Ruth Harrison, writing for FemaleFirst magazine, gave the album 4/5, saying that Talbot has "a great voice when it comes to swing, but lets us down in parts". Harrison said that Talbot struggled with the "rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
sound" associated with "Merry Christmas Everybody", but said that the vocals on "Ave Maria" are "incredible", and that the bonus tracks "really are a bonus". The Leicester Mercury
Leicester Mercury
The Leicester Mercury is a British regional newspaper, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, for the city of Leicester and the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland...
published a review from a nine-year old critic, Natasha Dattani, who said that Talbot "has a nice voice, it's very cute", and added that "older people, like grandparents, will really like" the album. James Whittle, writing for the South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....
, described the album as "chock-a-block with old-time favourites", calling Talbot "sweet-voiced".
Despite the problems in the United Kingdom, which left hundreds of copies of the album in warehouses, Amy Bowen of the Walsall Advertiser wrote that the album was proving successful in Asia. In its first week of release, Connie Talbot's Christmas Album sold 4,551 copies worldwide, and, as of December 2009, it has sold 14,913.