The Magic of Christmas (Natalie Cole album)

The Magic of Christmas
Studio album by Natalie Cole and London Symphony Orchestra
Released	October 19, 1999 (1999-10-19)
Recorded	1998–99[1]
Studio	Abbey Road Studios (London, UK).
Genre	Christmas vocal
Length	41:11
Label	Elektra
Producer	Fred Salem
Natalie Cole chronology
Snowfall on the Sahara (1999) The Magic of Christmas (1999) Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002)

The Magic of Christmas is a collaborative Christmas album by American recording artist Natalie Cole and London Symphony Orchestra, released on September 21, 1999, by Elektra Records.[2] The album is a follow-up to Snowfall on the Sahara. It reached peak positions of number 157 on the US Billboard 200 and number 84 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[3] A number of the tracks on The Magic of Christmas were first released on the 1998 album Christmas With You, which was produced exclusively for Hallmark Cards.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]

AllMusic's Heather Phares awarded the album 2.5 out of 5 stars and described the collection of songs as "traditional yet sophisticated". She also highlighted "O Tannenbaum", "The 12 Days of Christmas", and "The Christmas Song".[4]

Track listing

All tracks producer by Fred Salem.[5]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Christmas Song" (duet with Nat King Cole)	Mel Tormé Robert Wells	3:45
2.	"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"	Felix Mendelssohn, W. H. Cummings (Adaptation)	3:43
3.	"O Tannenbaum"	Traditional	3:57
4.	"Sweet Little Jesus Boy"	Robert MacGimsey	3:43
5.	"Sleigh Ride"	Leroy Anderson (Music) Mitchell Parish (Lyrics)	3:31
6.	"My Grown-Up Christmas List"	David Foster Linda Thompson-Jenner	4:11
7.	"The Christmas Waltz"	Jule Styne Sammy Cahn	4:23
8.	"Mary, Did You Know?"	Buddy Greene Mark Lowry	3:26
9.	"Carol of the Bells"	Mykola Leontovych Peter J. Wilhousky	4:34
10.	"Twelve Days of Christmas"	Traditional	6:04

Note

• "The Christmas Song" uses samples from a recording of "The Christmas Song", as performed by Nat King Cole.[6]

Personnel

Adapted from album booklet.[2][5]

• Natalie Cole – vocals
• London Symphony Orchestra – orchestra (strings, horns, woodwinds, percussion)
• Terry Trotter – grand piano
• Christopher Argent – organ (1–4, 7)
• Bob Krogstad – musical arrangements (1–3, 5–8, 10), orchestra conductor
• Robert MacGimsey – musical arrangements (4)
• Peter Wilhousky – musical arrangements (9)
• Nat King Cole – vocals (1)

Production

• Fred Salem – producer
• Dick Carter – executive producer
• Toby Foster – recording, engineer, mixing
• Al Schmitt – mixing
• Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
• Alli Truch – art direction, design
• David Jensen – photography
• Cecille Parker – stylist
• Tara Posey – make-up
• Janet Zeitoun – hair stylist

Charts

Chart (1999–2000)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[7]	157
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[8]	21
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9]	84

References

1. Cole, Natalie. “Christmas With You” (Album Notes). Hallmark. 1998.
2. "The Magic of Christmas". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
3. "The Magic of Christmas: Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
4. Phares, Heather. "Natalie Cole – The Magic of Christmas". AllMusic.
5. Cole, Natalie. “The Magic of Christmas” (Album Notes). Elektra Records. 1999.
6. "Nat 'King' Cole's Holiday Track Returns to Billboard Hot 100". U Discover Music. 2018-12-06.
7. "Natalie Cole Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
8. "Natalie Cole Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
9. "Natalie Cole Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2017.

External links

• The Magic of Christmas at Discogs (list of releases)