Jewel is returning to Christmas canon with the December release of “Let It Snow,” her second holiday album and the follow-up to 1999’s platinum “Joy: A Holiday Collection.”
The 12-track Somerset Group Ltd. set includes renditions of seasonal favorites such as “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Silver Bells” and “White Christmas,” the latter featuring Vince Gill on guitar. It also includes two new Jewel compositions — “It’s Christmastime” and “Blue Crystal Glow,” a chorale piece she co-wrote with Joe Mardin, son of the late “Joy” producer Arif Mardin.
“I really had an amazing time doing this one,” Jewel tells Billboard. “The great thing about Christmas music is I can cover a lot of territory, from country to jazz style vocals to classical music, arias. That’s what drew me to the last one… And it’s fun writing Christmas music; you get to write in a more classic style and not have to think about current radio or current trends.”
Watch: ‘?O Holy Night’? via ‘Joy’ |
Jewel co-produced the album with Mardin, Steve Skinner and Robbie Kondor — arrangers who also worked on “Joy.”
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“Obviously I couldn’t work with Arif on this one, but I couldn’t be happier with the outcome,” Jewel says. “It’s a really beautiful record. These guys did such a beautiful job producing and arranging it and making all these different styles work together seamlessly.”
Jewel, who released a “Greatest Hits” album in February, will be serving as a judge on the fourth season of NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” which is currently taping in Los Angeles and will begin airing on a date yet to be announced.
The full track list for “Let It Snow” includes:
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Do You Hear What I Hear?
It’s Christmastime
What Child Is This?
Panis Angelicus
Blue Crystal Glow
Sleigh Ride
White Christmas
Silver Bells
The Christmas Song
I’ll Be Home for Christmas