Christmas with Scotty McCreery
{{Infobox album|
| name = Christmas with Scotty McCreery
| type = studio
| artist = Scotty McCreery
| cover = ChristmaswithScotty.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{start date|2012|10|16}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio = Starstruck Studios and Sound Stage Studios (Nashville, Tennessee)
| genre = {{hlist|Christmas|country}}
| length = 37:19
| label = {{hlist|Mercury Nashville|19}}
| producer = Mark Bright
| prev_title = Clear as Day
| prev_year = 2011
| next_title = See You Tonight
| next_year = 2013
}}
Christmas with Scotty McCreery is the Christmas album by season ten American Idol winner Scotty McCreery. The album was released on October 16, 2012, in the United States by Mercury Nashville.{{Cite web|url=http://www.countryweekly.com/news/scotty-mccreerys-new-christmas-album-will-jingle-his-familys-bells |title=Scotty McCreery's New Christmas Album Will Jingle His Family's Bells |last=Schmitt |first=Brad |publisher=Country Weekly |date=September 5, 2012 |access-date=November 24, 2012}} The album was certified Gold on November 26, 2012.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Christmas With Scotty McCreery |artist=Scotty McCreery}}
Background
In July 2012, Scotty McCreery revealed that he was working on a Christmas album.{{cite news |url=http://www.theboot.com/2012/07/30/scotty-mccreery-holiday-album/ |title= Scotty McCreery Holiday Album in the Works |author=Gayle Thompson |publisher=The Boot |date=July 30, 2012 }} He indicated that he had always wanted to make a Christmas album, and had talked about it for about a year before it was given the go-ahead by his label.{{cite news |url= http://tasteofcountry.com/scotty-mccreery-interview-christmas-college-new-album/ |title= Scotty McCreery Interview: Young Star Talks New Christmas Album and Balancing Fame With College |author=Sterling Whitaker |publisher=Taste of Country }}{{cite news |url= http://www.wetpaint.com/american-idol/articles/scotty-mccreery-reveals-christmas-album-details |title= Scotty McCreery Reveals Christmas Album Details |author=Amanda Bell |publisher=Wetpaint |date=September 4, 2012 }} The album contains many of the standard Christmas songs, as well as two original Christmas songs - "Christmas in Heaven" and "Christmas Comin' Round Again".{{cite news |url= http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2012/09/29/christmas_with_scotty_mccreery_drops_o |title= 'Christmas With Scotty McCreery' Drops Oct. 16 |publisher=Starpulse |date=September 29, 2012 }}{{cite news |url= http://www.hitfix.com/news/interview-scotty-mccreery-talks-christmas-elvis-and-his-next-album |title=Interview: Scotty McCreery talks Christmas, Elvis and his next album |author=Melinda Newman |date= Oct 12, 2012 |work=Hitfix |access-date=November 24, 2012 }} He described "Christmas in Heaven" as his favorite song on the album.{{cite web |url=http://tasteofcountry.com/christmas-with-scotty-mccreery-album-release-date/ |title=Scotty McCreery to Release 'Christmas With Scotty McCreery' on October 16 |author=Sterling Whitaker |date=September 4, 2012|publisher=Taste of Country |access-date=November 25, 2012 }} McCreery revealed that he was writing a song called "Christmas in Heaven" about his grandfather, who died while he was getting ready for the album, but received a song with the same title and opted to record that instead.{{cite news |url=http://www.theboot.com/2012/10/18/scotty-mccreery-christmas-album/ |title= Scotty McCreery Christmas Album Is Early Gift to Fans |author=Deborah Evans-Price |publisher=The Boot |date=October 18, 2012 }}
The album was produced by Mark Bright, who was also the producer of McCreery's first album, Clear as Day.{{cite web |url= http://nashvillecountryclub.com/News.php?id=4711 |title= Scotty McCreery's Best Selling Holiday Album! |publisher= Nashville Country Club|date= 2012-10-24 }} The Christmas album was released on October 16, 2012 in the United States. It was included in the Scotty McCreery QVC Bundle, which also contains Clear as Day, and was released on October 23 through QVC.{{Cite web|url=http://www.countryweekly.com/news/scotty-mccreerys-gets-christmas-spirit-qvc |title=Scotty McCreery's Gets in the Christmas Spirit With QVC |last=Paxman |first=Bob |publisher=Country Weekly |date=2012-10-19 |access-date=November 24, 2012}}
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = Allmusic
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-with-scotty-mccreery-mw0002418507 |title=Scotty McCreery, Christmas with Scotty McCreery |author= Stephen Thomas Erlewine |date=October 16, 2012 |publisher=Allmusic.com }}
| rev2 = Taste of Country
| rev2Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web |url=http://tasteofcountry.com/scotty-mccreery-christmas-with-scotty-mccreery/ |title=Scotty McCreery, 'Christmas With Scotty McCreery' – Album Review |author=Billy Dukes |date=October 16, 2012 |publisher=Taste of Country }}
| rev3 = Roughstock
}}
The album received generally positive reviews by the critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic thought that to release a Christmas album at this point of his career "may be a tad speedy but a festive collection is a softball pitch up the middle for McCreery, one that the cornpone singer can hit clear out of the park." Billy Duke of Taste of Country considered it a "consistent project that takes few chances, but offers 11 pleasant recordings to easily slip into one's yearly holiday playlist." In similar vein, Matt Bjorke of Roughstock thought the album is "largely as warm and familiar as a cup of Hot Cocoa. That is, it's not the kind of groundbreaking all-new Christmas recording but it is well-made and should be an easy addition to any Christmas music fan's collection of yuletide music."
Chart and sales performance
Christmas with Scotty McCreery debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 41,000 copies.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/idolchatter/2012/10/24/scotty-mccreery-christmas-album-sales/1654283/ |title= Scotty McCreery's Christmas album debuts at No. 4 |author=Brian Mansfield |work=Idol Chatter |publisher=USA Today |date= 2012-10-24 |access-date=November 24, 2012 }} It also charted in No. 2 in the Top Country Albums and No. 1 in the Top Holiday Albums charts. As of December 2013, the album has sold 382,000 copies in the US.{{cite news |title=Country Album Chart News: The Week of December 18, 2013: Garth Brooks, Duck Dynasty, Cassadee Pope, Parmalee, & Scotty McCreery |url=http://www.roughstock.com/blog/country-album-chart-news-the-week-of-december-18-2013-garth-brooks-duck-dynasty-cassadee-pope-parmalee-scotty-mccreery |last=Bjorke |first=Matt |publisher=Roughstock |date=December 18, 2013 |access-date=December 18, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219092023/http://www.roughstock.com/blog/country-album-chart-news-the-week-of-december-18-2013-garth-brooks-duck-dynasty-cassadee-pope-parmalee-scotty-mccreery |archive-date=December 19, 2013 }}
The Scotty McCreery QVC Bundle released through QVC sold 5,000 copies the first week and reached No. 93 on the Billboard 200.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/idolchatter/2012/11/07/idol-album-sales-blown-away/1689859/ |title=Carrie Underwood leads Idol sales after post-CMA bump |author=Brian Mansfield |publisher=USA Today |date=November 7, 2012 |access-date= November 7, 2012 }}
Track listing
{{tracklist
| title1 = Let It Snow
| writer1 = {{hlist|Sammy Cahn|Jule Styne}}
| length1 = 2:03
| title2 = First Noel
| writer2 = Traditional
| length2 = 3:38
| title3 = Jingle Bells
| writer3 = James Lord Pierpont
| length3 = 3:17
| title4 = Holly Jolly Christmas
| writer4 = Johnny Marks
| length4 = 2:28
| title5 = Winter Wonderland
| writer5 = {{hlist|Felix Bernard|Richard B. Smith}}
| length5 = 2:34
| title6 = Christmas in Heaven
| writer6 = {{hlist|Paul Marino|Jeremy Johnson}}
| length6 = 3:31
| title7 = Mary, Did You Know?
| writer7 = {{hlist|Buddy Greene|Mark Lowry}}
| length7 = 3:22
| title8 = Christmas Comin' Round Again
| writer8 = {{hlist|Ashley Gorley|Hillary Lindsey}}
| length8 = 4:06
| title9 = O Holy Night
| writer9 = Adolphe Adam, Placide Cappeau
| length9 = 4:45
| title10 = The Christmas Song
| writer10 = {{hlist|Mel Tormé|Robert Wells}}
| length10 = 3:51
| title11 = Santa Claus Is Back in Town
| writer11 = {{hlist|Jerry Leiber|Mike Stoller}}
| length11 = 3:35
|total_length = 37:19
}}
Personnel
Adapted from liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=Christmas with Scotty McCreery |others=Scotty McCreery |year=2012 |type=CD booklet |publisher=Mercury Records Nashville/19 Recordings |id=B0017583-02}}
- Scotty McCreery – lead vocals
- Jimmy Nichols – keyboards, acoustic piano
- Brent Mason – electric guitars
- Danny Rader – acoustic guitars
- Tony Lucido – bass guitar
- Paul Leim – drums
- Eric Darken – percussion (1, 3-9)
- Aubrey Haynie – fiddle (1, 3, 5)
- Jonathan Yudkin – arco bass (6, 7), cello (6, 7), harp (6, 7), viola (6, 7), violin (6, 7), string arrangements (6, 7)
- Charlie Judge – strings (9), string arrangements (9)
- Wes Hightower – backing vocals (2, 3, 5-8, 10, 11)
- Jenifer Wrinkle – backing vocals (2, 3, 5-8, 10, 11)
= Production =
- Brian Wright – A&R
- Mark Bright – producer
- Derek Bason – recording, mixing
- Chris Small – recording, mixing, digital editing
- Adam Ayan – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine)
- Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordinator
- Kirsten Wines – musical assistance
- Craig Allen – design
- Andrew Southam – photography
Charts and certifications
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
= Weekly Charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Chart (2012)
! Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| align="center"| 4 |
| scope="row"| US Billboard Top Country Albums{{cite web |url= {{BillboardURLbyName|artist=scotty mccreery|chart=all}} |title=Christmas with Scotty McCreery - Scotty McCreery |publisher=Billboard }}
| align="center"| 2 |
| scope="row"| US Billboard Top Holiday Albums{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=scotty mccreery|chart=Holiday Albums}}|title=Scotty McCreery Album & Song Chart History – Holiday Albums|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|access-date=October 25, 2012}}
| align="center"| 1 |
= Year-End Charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Chart (2012)
! Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Billboard Top Country Albums{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2012/top-country-albums|title=Country Albums: Year End 2012 |publisher=Billboard }}
| align="center"| 48 |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Chart (2013)
! Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite web |url= http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2013/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Billboard 200 Albums: Year End 2013 |publisher=Billboard }}
| align="center"| 98 |
| scope="row"| US Billboard Top Country Albums{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2013/top-country-albums|title=Country Albums: Year End 2013 |publisher=Billboard }}
| align="center"| 25 |
=Certifications=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Country (Provider) |
|---|
| United States (RIAA)
| style="text-align:center;"| Gold{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Christmas With Scotty McCreery |artist=Scotty McCreery}} |
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}