ReJoyce: The Christmas Album was released after Simpson's most successful studio album of her career In This Skin (2003). The album has sold 669,000 copies in the United States, as of February 23, 2009, according to
Nielsen SoundScan, and has been certified
Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America in January 2005.
The album garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewin editor of
AllMusic, said: "ReJoyce: The Christmas Album, never approaches the old-fashioned manners implied in the title and instead wallows in the big, brassy, over-the-top spectacle of show biz. Rejoyce is a Christmas album that sounds like it was recorded at a Las Vegas revue. It's filled with showstoppers and grandstanding, relying on the tried-and-true seasonal classics while offering a couple of new songs almost as an afterthought. It's bright and incessantly cheerful, always seeming loud even during its quietest moments because the music itself is bold and brassy. While she sounds a little too breathy on occasion, Simpson acquits herself well on the record, and the entire enterprise will surely please her fans, particularly those who like her persona just a little bit better than her singing".[3]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number sixteen on the Billboard 200 with 152,000 copies.[5] After a week the album peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard 200.[6] As of February 23, 2009, the album has sold a total of 669,000 copies in the United States[7] and has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[8]
Track listing
All tracks were produced by
Billy Mann, except for "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" which was produced by Mann and
Chris Rojas.
Simpson's first
extended play (EP), titled A Special Limited Edition Christmas Collection, was sold at participating 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. and Canada. It included an exclusive acoustic version of Jessica's version of "Angels."[9]