Christmas with Friends (India.Arie and Joe Sample album)
{{good article}}
{{Infobox album|
| name = Christmas with Friends
| type = studio
| artist = India.Arie and Joe Sample
| cover = ChristmasWithFriendsArieSampleAlbumCover.jpg
| border = yes
| alt = An image of India.Arie and Joe Sample looking towards the camera while surrounding by little lights. The album title and the artists' name are around them.
| released = {{Start date|2015|10|16}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio = Various (See background and recording section)
| genre = {{Flat list|
}}
| length = {{duration|m=36|s=20}}
| label = Motown, Soulbird Music
| producer = {{Flat list|
}}
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = India.Arie
| type = studio
| prev_title = Songversation
| prev_year = 2013
| title = Christmas with Friends
| year = 2015
| next_title = SongVersation: Medicine
| next_year = 2017
}}
{{Extra chronology
| artist = Joe Sample
| type = studio
| prev_title = Live
| prev_year = 2012
| title = Christmas with Friends
| year = 2015
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
}}
Christmas with Friends is a collaborative Christmas album by American singer India.Arie and American pianist Joe Sample. It was released on October 16, 2015, through Motown and Soulbird Music. Arie worked as one of the album's executive producers with American pianist John Burk and American musician Dave Koz. Sample contributed to four of the songs, but died from mesothelioma before the album's completion. After placing the project on hold for a year, Arie decided to collaborate with other artists to complete it.
Christmas with Friends consists of ten tracks, including nine covers of Christmas standards and carols, and one original song co-written by Arie's mother. Following the album's release, Arie promoted it in various venues, particularly through her Christmas with Friends Tour (2015). Christmas with Friends received a generally mixed critical reception. The album appeared on several Billboard charts. The album peaked at number 107 on the Billboard 200.
Background and recording
American singer-songwriter India.Arie and American pianist Joe Sample first met in 2012 during the Curaçao Jazz Festival. They worked together on music without much success;{{cite web|url=http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/x-mas-comes-early-for-india-arie-333|title=X-Mas Comes Early for India.Arie|last=León|first=Felice|date=November 16, 2015|work=Ebony|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318094725/http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/x-mas-comes-early-for-india-arie-333|archive-date=March 18, 2016|url-status=live}} Arie said she was dissatisfied with their earlier work, explaining the songs "weren't coming together as quickly as I wanted". After attempting to collaborate on new music for two years, they decided to record a Christmas album together. Both artists had been asked by their families to make a Christmas album in the past.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-with-friends-mw0002753851|title=AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman|last=Kellman|first=Andy|website=AllMusic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529042612/http://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-with-friends-mw0002753851|archive-date=May 29, 2017|url-status=live}}
File:Joe Sample.jpg (pictured in 2008) worked on before his death in 2014.|alt=An image of Joe Sample smiling while sitting at a piano with a microphone attached.]]
Arie and Sample began working on Christmas with Friends in February 2014, with help from American producer Aaron Lindsey. Recording took place in a number of studios, including Harmony Studios, House of Blues Studios, Ocean Way Recording, and Sound Logic Recording Studio in California, India Song Studio in Georgia, Studio A Recording Inc. in Maryland, and Wire Roads Studio in Texas. Arie was one of the album's executive producers with American pianist John Burke and American musician Dave Koz.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-with-friends-mw0002753851/credits|title=Credits|website=AllMusic|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225035504/https://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-with-friends-mw0002753851/credits|archive-date=December 25, 2017}}
Sample died from mesothelioma on September 12, 2014, before completing his parts for the album.{{cite web|url=https://www.essence.com/2015/12/18/india-arie-christmas-album-anniversary-acoustic-soul|title=India Arie Talks New Christmas Album, and the 15th Anniversary of 'Acoustic Soul'|last=Arnold|first=Chuck|date=December 18, 2015|work=Essence|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802204840/http://www.essence.com/2015/12/18/india-arie-christmas-album-anniversary-acoustic-soul|archive-date=August 2, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.soultracks.com/album-review-india-arie-christmas-with-friends|title=India.Arie - Christmas with Friends (with Joe Sample)|last=Charles|first=Melody|publisher=SoulTracks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730115309/http://www.soultracks.com/album-review-india-arie-christmas-with-friends|archive-date=July 30, 2016|url-status=live}} When discussing her experience working with Sample in Houston, Arie said: "He was an older person who was dealing with health issues, but he was fun to be around."{{cite web|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20151217_India_Arie_to_bring_Christmas_to_the_Keswick.html|title=India.Arie to bring Christmas to the Keswick|last=Frisby|first=Mister Mann|date=December 17, 2015|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225040933/http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20151217_India_Arie_to_bring_Christmas_to_the_Keswick.html|archive-date=December 25, 2017|url-status=live}} She dedicated Christmas with Friends to Sample with a message on the liner notes.{{cite web|url=http://thehowardtheatre.com/show/2015/12/14/india-arie/|title=India.Arie Christmas w/ Friends feat. Special Guest Jonathan McReynolds|publisher=Howard Theatre|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125082052/http://thehowardtheatre.com/show/2015/12/14/india-arie/|archive-date=January 25, 2016|url-status=live}}{{efn|Arie included the following message in the liner notes: "Joe said, 'Recording should be a moment. The best records are where a group of musicians are sharing an experience together.' And we had that."}}
Following Sample's death, Arie put work on Christmas with Friends on hold for a year, after which she decided to contact multiple singers to complete the project.{{cite web|url=http://www.omaha.com/go/music/new-christmas-albums-are-coming-add-these-to-your-holiday/article_bc8245ca-6906-5d74-acc1-3a06cf6fd92a.html|title=New Christmas albums are coming: Add these to your holiday playlist|last=Coffey|first=Kevin|date=December 2, 2015|work=Omaha World-Herald|access-date=December 25, 2017}} The artists who appear on the album are Kem, Brandy, Michael McDonald, Dave Koz, Tori Kelly, and Trombone Shorty.{{efn| A feature with American musician Stevie Wonder was also planned, but was never finished.}} Describing the process she used to pair songs with potential collaborators, Arie said: "I sent several songs to each person and said 'do what you feel{{'}}". Brandy had approached Arie when the album was nearly complete and said: "It ain't done until I'm on there! I need to be on 'Silent Night.{{'}}"
Composition and collaborations
{{Listen
|filename=IndiaArieLetItSnow.ogg
|title="Let It Snow"
|description=A sample of India.Arie rendition of "Let It Snow", featuring Joe Sample on the piano. Arie said that Sample's chord voicings influenced her vocals on the album.
|pos=right}}
Christmas with Friends comprises ten songs, nine of which are covers of Christmas standards and one is an original track. SoulTracks' Melody Charles viewed the track listing as "leisurely-paced". The midtempo "Favorite Time of Year" is the album's only original song. It was co-written by Arie's mother during a session in the recording studio with her daughter and Aaron Lindsey, and includes lyrics about Arie's family, such as how her mother created her stage clothing. She chose to cover "Merry Christmas Baby" as her grandmother had previously sung to her during her childhood.
Sample plays the piano on four of the album's songs: "Let It Snow", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Silent Night", and "The Christmas Song". Arie said that Sample's chord voicings had a deep impact on her approach for her vocals; she explained: "His piano playing was so nuanced and delicate, it made me want to sing in a way that would complement his aesthetic."
Music critics noted that the singers came from different artistic backgrounds, such as gospel, jazz, pop, contemporary R&B, soul, and rock. Francois Marchand of The Vancouver Sun identified the album's genre as "relaxed pop [and] R&B."{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/christmas+albums+from+sinatra+sharon+jones+what+again/11577370/story.html|title=10 top Christmas albums: From Sinatra to Sharon Jones, what's old is new again|last=Marchand|first=Francois|date=December 10, 2015|work=The Vancouver Sun|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225053401/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/christmas+albums+from+sinatra+sharon+jones+what+again/11577370/story.html|archive-date=December 25, 2017|url-status=live}} Charles wrote that "Let It Snow" features "Sample's glib piano work and her feathery croon" and "The Christmas Song" as a "smoke-infused ditty". Arie's interpretations of "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" and "Merry Christmas Baby" contain elements of ragtime and blues respectively.{{cite web|url=http://thesouthern.com/india-arie-christmas-with-friends-soulbird-motown/html_abc32922-4aa3-5661-a17c-f142564e2d7b.html|title=India.Arie, "Christmas with Friends" (Soulbird/Motown)|last=Gorondi|first=Pablo|date=December 2, 2015|work=The Southern Illinoisan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225023819/http://thesouthern.com/india-arie-christmas-with-friends-soulbird-motown/html_abc32922-4aa3-5661-a17c-f142564e2d7b.html|archive-date=December 25, 2017|url-status=live}} Her versions of "Let It Snow" and "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" incorporate a jazz sound,{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/music/the-best-new-christmas-albums/article_8be74d21-490b-5681-ad28-a6cffc4db0fc.html|title=The 13 best new Christmas albums|last=Sculley|first=Alan|date=December 1, 2015|work=Daily Herald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307054953/http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/music/the-best-new-christmas-albums/article_8be74d21-490b-5681-ad28-a6cffc4db0fc.html|archive-date=March 7, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/arts/music/making-merry-with-music.html?mtrref=en.wikipedia.org&gwh=6F3E462793B9F0D8DF68FDB0463F3E4F&gwt=pay|title=Making Merry with Music|last1=Pareles|first1=Jon|last2=Ratliff|first2=Ben|date=November 26, 2015|work=The New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225053401/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/arts/music/making-merry-with-music.html?mtrref=en.wikipedia.org&gwh=6F3E462793B9F0D8DF68FDB0463F3E4F&gwt=pay|archive-date=December 25, 2017|url-status=live|last3=Caramanica|first3=Jon|last4=Chinen|first4=Nate}} while her take on "Auld Lang Syne" includes an instrumental from American saxophonist Kirk Whalum.
Release and promotion
Christmas with Friends was released on October 16, 2015, through Motown and Soulbird Music.{{cite web |title=Christmas with friends|website=WorldCat |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/990939658 |oclc=990939658}}{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/christmas-with-friends/1047947777|title=Christmas with Friends|publisher=Apple Music|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225034750/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-with-friends/1047947777|archive-date=December 25, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-christmas-albums-for-2015/|title=New Christmas albums for 2015|last=Gorondi|first=Pablo|date=December 22, 2015|work=CBS News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309044251/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-christmas-albums-for-2015/|archive-date=March 9, 2016|url-status=live}} It was Arie's second studio album after a four-year hiatus. In a 2015 interview with Ebony, she said that it would be her only Christmas album. Christmas with Friends was Sample's final album before his death; when talking about her part in his career, Arie said: "It's an honor to be the gatekeeper to what we believe is his last recorded work."
Arie promoted the album by performing in a concert as part of the Hollywood Christmas Parade on December 11, 2015. She also embarked on the Christmas with Friends Tour (2015). The seven-city production started in Boston on December 13, 2015, with American musician Jonathan McReynolds serving as the opening act for five of its dates. A portion of the ticket sales was given to the National Museum of African-American Music.{{cite web|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/article/13062511/indiaarie-christmas-with-friends-tonight-at-the-schermerhorn|title=India.Arie Christmas with Friends Tonight at the Schermerhorn|last=Maloney|first=Sean L.|date=December 21, 2015|work=Nashville Scene|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225025158/https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/article/13062511/indiaarie-christmas-with-friends-tonight-at-the-schermerhorn|archive-date=December 25, 2017|url-status=live}} To promote the record further, Arie also appeared on The Steve Harvey Morning Show and Tavis Smiley in December 2015.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/videos/popular/6785915/india-arie-christmas-friends-joe-sample-tori-kelly-brandy|title=India.Arie Spends 'Christmas with Friends' Joe Sample, Tori Kelly, Brandy & More|last=Mitchell|first=Gail|date=December 4, 2015|magazine=Billboard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210033437/http://www.billboard.com/articles/videos/popular/6785915/india-arie-christmas-friends-joe-sample-tori-kelly-brandy|archive-date=December 10, 2016|url-status=live}}
Reception
File:India.Arie in 2004 by Chris Hakkens.jpg
Upon its release, Christmas with Friends received positive feedback from music critics. Praising Arie's performance as "{{nowrap|show[ing]}} a smooth maturity", The Southern Illinoisan{{'}}s Pablo Gorondi wrote that Sample lent the album a "jazz expertise". Sean L. Maloney of the Nashville Scene summed up the record as "a great big bundle of warm-and-fuzzies, a cozy cuddle by the fireplace on a cold night, and a holiday tradition in the makin". Philadelphia Weekly{{'}}s Nerisha Penrose viewed it as composed of "nostalgic numbers that will warm listeners['] ears and hearts".{{cite web|url=http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/music/india-arie-heads-to-philly-to-perform-christmas-with-friends/article_ac2a3e44-8f65-56c4-9d19-f94a86f003d8.html|title=India.Arie heads to Philly to perform "Christmas with Friends"|last=Penrose|first=Nerisha|date=December 16, 2015|work=Philadelphia Weekly|access-date=December 25, 2017}} The Los Angeles Times{{'}} Randy Lewis described Christmas with Friends as "suitably warm",{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-ca-ms-holiday-music-roundup-20151220-story.html|title=Rating 2015's holiday music: the merry and the 'meh'|last=Lewis|first=Randy|date=December 18, 2015|work=Los Angeles Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224181615/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-ca-ms-holiday-music-roundup-20151220-story.html|archive-date=December 24, 2017|url-status=live}} and Alan Sculley of the Daily Herald wrote that it showcased the potential for a Christmas album to be original.
Other critics had more mixed responses to the album. Despite wishing that Sample was featured on more songs, Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised the contributions from its various featured artists. He highlighted Arie's vocals "switching between the spiritual and playful material with natural ease", writing that she provides cohesion for all of the tracks. While she believed that the album needed more uptempo tracks, Melody Charles responded positively to Arie's vocals and her collaborations with the other artists. She wrote that the album "gift[ed] music lovers with a treat to the ears, and heart, long before that celebrated day arrives". Joe Szczechowski of Digital First Media praised Arie's approach to the album's various genres, but he criticized her tendency to rely on "runs and other vocal gymnastics when the song would be best served by simply carrying the tune".{{cite web|url=http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/entertainment/it-s-beginning-to-sound-a-lot-like-christmas/article_b2a8a4cb-d36c-5446-9f2e-f17346272b47.html|title=It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas|last=Szczechowski|first=Joe|date=November 30, 2015|publisher=Digital First Media|access-date=December 25, 2017}}
Christmas with Friends reached a peak position on several Billboard charts for the week of December 26, 2015. It peaked at number 107 on the Billboard 200, and remained on the chart for four weeks.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/indiaarie/chart-history/billboard-200/song/948139|title=Billboard 200|magazine=Billboard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227195114/https://www.billboard.com/music/indiaarie/chart-history/billboard-200/song/948139|archive-date=December 27, 2017}} It reached number 78 on the Top Album Sales chart, and stayed on the chart for two weeks.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/indiaarie/chart-history/top-album-sales/song/948139|title=Top Album Sales|magazine=Billboard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227195114/https://www.billboard.com/music/indiaarie/chart-history/top-album-sales/song/948139|archive-date=December 27, 2017}} The album peaked at number 19 on the Holiday Album Sales chart, and remained on the chart for a total of six weeks.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/indiaarie/chart-history/XHL/song/948139|title=Holiday Album Sales|magazine=Billboard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227195114/https://www.billboard.com/music/indiaarie/chart-history/XHL/song/948139|archive-date=December 27, 2017}} Along with the album, Arie's cover of "Merry Christmas Baby" peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 9, 2016, and remained on the chart for one week.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/indiaarie/chart-history/hot-adult-r-and-b-airplay/song/956018|title=Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227195114/https://www.billboard.com/music/indiaarie/chart-history/hot-adult-r-and-b-airplay/song/956018|archive-date=December 27, 2017}}
Track listing
Credits adapted from AllMusic.
{{Track listing
| collapsed =
| headline =
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| total_length = 36:20
| title1 = Let It Snow
| writer1 = {{Flat list|
| extra1 = {{Flat list|
- Aaron W. Lindsay
- India.Arie}}
| length1 = 2:34
| title2 = Favorite Time of Year
| note2 = featuring Tori Kelly
| writer2 = {{Flat list|
- India Arie Simpson
- Lindsay
- Joyce Simpson}}
| extra2 = {{Flat list|
- Lindsay
- India.Arie
- Joe Sample}}
| length2 = 3:01
| title3 = Silent Night
| note3 = featuring Brandy
| writer3 = {{Flat list|
| extra3 = {{Flat list|
- Lindsay
- India.Arie
- Sample}}
| length3 = 3:40
| title4 = Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
| note4 = featuring Kem
| writer4 = {{Flat list|
| extra4 = {{Flat list|
- Lindsay
- India.Arie
- Sample}}
| length4 = 4:35
| title5 = Merry Christmas Baby
| note5 = featuring Michael McDonald
| writer5 = {{Flat list|
- Johnny Moore
- Lou Baxter}}
| extra5 = {{Flat list|
- Lindsay
- India.Arie}}
| length5 = 3:34
| title6 = I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
| note6 = featuring Dave Koz and Trombone Shorty
| writer6 = {{Flat list|
| extra6 =Rickey Minor
| length6 = 3:10
| title7 = The Christmas Song
| writer7 = {{Flat list|
| extra7 = {{Flat list|
- Lindsay
- India.Arie
- Sample}}
| length7 = 4:23
| title8 = God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
| note8 = featuring Khristian Dentley
| writer8 = {{Flat list|
- Traditional}}
| extra8 = {{Flat list|
- Lindsay
- India.Arie}}
| length8 = 4:19
| title9 = Mary, Did You Know?
| note9 = featuring Gene Moore Jr.
| writer9 = {{Flat list|
| extra9 = {{Flat list|
- Lindsay
}}
| length9 = 3:23
| title10 = Auld Lang Syne
| note10 = featuring Kirk Whalum
| writer10 = {{Flat list|
- Traditional}}
| extra10 = {{Flat list|
- Lindsay
- India.Arie}}
| length10 = 3:41
}}
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic.
Management
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
- Motown
- Soulbird Music
{{Div col end}}
Recording locations
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
- Harmony Studios (West Hollywood, California)
- House of Blues Studios (Encino, California)
- Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood, California)
- Sound Logic Recording Studio (Santa Barbara, California)
- India Song Studio (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Studio A Recording, Inc (Dearborn Heights, Michigan)
- Wire Roads Studio (Houston, Texas)
{{Div col end}}
Credits
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
;Musicians and Singers
- India.Arie – vocals
- Joe Sample – acoustic piano (1, 3, 4, 7), arrangements (1, 3, 4, 7)
- Aaron W. Lindsey – auxiliary keyboards (1, 3, 7), synthesizers (1, 3, 7), instruments (2), bass (3, 4), arrangements (3-5, 8-10), Rhodes electric piano (4), additional keyboards (4), upright bass (4), drums (4), acoustic piano (5, 8-10), keyboards (8-10)
- John Beasley – acoustic piano (6), arrangements (6)
- David Delhomme – keyboards (6)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – acoustic guitar (6, 9), electric guitar (9)
- Nicklas Sample – upright bass (1, 7)
- Nathan East – bass (4, 8), upright bass (9, 10)
- Chuck Berghofer – bass (6)
- Jeff "Tain" Watts – drums (1, 3, 7)
- Teddy Campbell – drums (5, 6, 8-10)
- Javier Solís – percussion (1, 3, 7, 8)
- Craig Fundyga – vibraphone (6)
- Dave Koz – tenor saxophone (6)
- Kirk Whalum – tenor saxophone (10)
- Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews – trombone (6)
- John Stoddart – strings (4, 9), string arrangements (4, 9)
- Hamilton Hardin – horns (5), horn arrangements (5)
- Rickey Minor – arrangements (6)
- Tori Kelly – vocals (2)
- Brandy – vocals (3)
- Kem – vocals (4)
- Michael McDonald – vocals (5)
- Khristian Dentley – vocals (8), vocal arrangements (8)
- Gene Moore – vocals (9)
;Production and Technical
- Rex Rideout – A&R
- India.Arie – executive producer
- John Burk – executive producer (6)
- Dave Koz – executive producer (6)
- Case Mundy – recording (1, 3, 4, 7)
- Rob Skipworth – vocal recording (1, 3, 4, 7), recording (4, 6)
- Paul "Salvo" Salveson – mixing (1-5, 7-10)
- Aaron W. Lindsey – editing (1, 3, 7), recording (2), vocal recording (9)
- Kory Aaron – vocal recording for India.Arie (2)
- Matt Emonson – vocal recording for Tori Kelly (2)
- Timothy "Tip" Wyman – vocal recording for Brandy (3)
- Eric Morgeson – vocal recording for Kem (4)
- Danny Duncan – recording (5, 8-10)
- Mark Casselman – vocal recording for Michael McDonald (5)
- Allen Sides – recording (6), mixing (6)
- Gerrit Kinkel – additional recording (6)
- Seth Presant – assistant engineer (6)
- Ryan Staples – assistant engineer (6)
- Lenny Wee – assistant engineer (6)
- Reuben Cohen – mastering
- Steve Cook – A&R administrator
- Vivian Yohannes – A&R coordinator
- Annalee Valencia-Bruch – art direction, design
- Queen Cora Dunham – photography
{{Div col end}}
Charts
Release history
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Discogs release|type=album|7599770|name=Christmas with Friends}}
{{India Arie}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas With Friends (India.Arie and Joe Sample album)}}
Category:2015 Christmas albums
Category:Albums published posthumously
Category:Christmas albums by American artists