2021 studio album by Kelly Clarkson
When Christmas Comes Around...
Released October 15, 2021 (2021-10-15 ) Recorded 2021 Studio
Brooklyn Bridge Music
The Eastwood Stage at Warner Bros. Studio
Everland Studios
Glenwood Place Studios
The Listening Station
Manhattan Beach Recording
Ocean Way
The Ribcage
Southern Ground
The Vibe Room
Genre
Pop Length 47 :51
Label
Atlantic
Producer
When Christmas Comes Around... is the ninth studio album by American singer
Kelly Clarkson , released on October 15, 2021, through
Atlantic Records . Produced by
Jesse Shatkin ,
Jason Halbert ,
Joseph Trapanese and
Aben Eubanks , it is her second
Christmas album after
Wrapped in Red (2013) and a follow-up to her eighth studio album
Meaning of Life (2017). Featuring
cover versions of Christmas songs, as well as original co-penned tracks and duets with
Chris Stapleton ,
Ariana Grande and
Brett Eldredge , its release was preceded by the singles "
Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You) " and "
Santa, Can't You Hear Me ". It also includes previously released singles "
Christmas Eve ", "
All I Want for Christmas Is You ", and "
Under the Mistletoe " as bonus tracks. The album was nominated for
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the
65th Annual Grammy Awards .
[1]
Promotion for the album included a
Christmas special of the same title, which premiered on
NBC on December 1, 2021. The Christmas special premiered with a 0.6 rating and 4.3 million total viewers.
[2]
[3]
Background and recording
"My purpose for choosing this lyric as the title of this project was to bring forth a sense of reality to the fact that we are probably in very different places emotionally When Christmas Comes Around... Some of us are consumed with a new love, some of us reminded of loss, some filled with optimism for the coming new year, others elated for some much deserved time away from the chaos our work lives can sometimes bring us. Wherever you are, and whatever you may be experiencing, I wanted everyone to be able to connect to a message on this album. Each year you may even have a new favorite depending on where you are in your life, but while change can be unpredictable there is no better time of year, in my opinion, to breathe hope into one’s life and let possibility wander."
—Clarkson on naming the album When Christmas Comes Around...
[4]
Following the release of her first Christmas album
Wrapped in Red in 2013 on
RCA Records , Clarkson transferred to
Atlantic Records and has issued the Christmas tracks "
Christmas Eve " (2017), "
Under the Mistletoe " (with
Brett Eldredge ), and a cover of
Vince Vance & the Valiants ' "
All I Want for Christmas Is You " (2020).
[5] In an interview on the television program
Entertainment Tonight , she revealed that she was not originally intending to record another Christmas studio album due to her fondness for her first, but later decided to following the emotional stress induced by the highly publicized divorce the previous year.
[6] In recording the album, Clarkson recorded
cover versions of various
Christmas classics and wrote new material featuring duets with American recording artists
Chris Stapleton and
Ariana Grande .
[5]
Themes and inspirations
Atlantic Records has promoted When Christmas Comes Around... as an exploration of "a wide range of holiday emotions and experiences anchored by Clarkson's incomparable vocal prowess".
[5] Clarkson has elaborated that the album will explore various themes of love, loss, hope, and optimism — emotions that people tend to experience during the holiday season.
[4]
[6]
Drawing inspiration from her experiences during the past two years, she remarked of the album's title, her first to not have a titular track since
My December (2007), as "when Christmas comes around, we are all in different places." Further adding that its selection of tracks will both evoke a somber and posit a jolly atmosphere. Characterizing it as "a different Christmas album", she portrayed When Christmas Comes Around... as feeling more like a normal studio album, but "there's Christmas sprinkled on it."
[6]
Release
When Christmas Comes Around... was released by Atlantic Records on October 15, 2021.
[6] A special edition shipped exclusively to
Target retail stores would also feature a
Christmas card signed by Clarkson.
[7] Its lead single "
Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You) ", was released on September 23, 2021.
[8] "Glow" with Stapleton and "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" with Grande were released as promotional singles alongside the album's release.
[9]
[10]
Critical reception
In a roundup of new holiday albums,
The New York Times music critic
Jon Caramanica praised Clarkson's "nimble" vocals and wrote that the original tracks, some of them strikingly "uncelebratory", make the album stand out.
[11] In the year-end episode of his Times podcast Popcast , Caramanica again praised the album, calling it "very, very good", "solid" and "impressive", though "not quite
Mariah -level."
[12]
Mike DeWald of Riff Magazine praised how Clarkson's original songs are "something fresh and listenable."
[13] Sal Cinquemani of
Slant Magazine , who gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars, criticized some production choices but praised Clarkson's "impressive" vocals and "melodic variations" on the classics as the "chief selling point."
[14] Marcy Donelson of
AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars, called it "a vibrant, fully orchestral, high-volume set on average", and singled out "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)" and "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" as highlights among the newest tracks."
[15]
Vulture ' s Justin Curto called Clarkson "the queen of the holidays", calling the album a gift for Christmas. Curto especially appreciated the collaboration with Ariana Grande, as it sounds "as majestic as you would expect from the two singers".
[16]
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes
Recorded and engineered at
Brooklyn, New York (Brooklyn Bridge Music)
Burbank, California (The Eastwood Stage at Warner Bros. Studio, The Listening Station, Glenwood Place Studios)
Los Angeles, California (The Ribcage)
Nashville, Tennessee (
Ocean Way , Southern Ground)
New York City (Manhattan Beach Recording)
Pasadena, California (The Vibe Room)
Studio City, California (Everland Studios)
Universal City, California
Performance credits
Kelly Clarkson – all vocals
Jessi Collins – background vocals
Luke Edgemon – background vocals
Brett Eldredge – featured vocals
Ariana Grande – featured vocals
Nayanna Holley – background vocals
Tiffany Palmer – background vocals
Bridget Sarai – background vocals
Chris Stapleton – featured vocals
Brandon Winbush – background vocals
Musicians
Isabel Bartles – violin
Kevin Bate – cello
Hari Bernstein – viola
Idalynn Besser – viola
Jenny Bifano – violin
Charlie Bisharat – violin
Laura Brenes – French horn
Jimmy Bowland – saxophone
Jaco Caraco – guitar
Paul Cartwright – violin
Bruce Christiansen – viola
Leroy Clampitt – bass
Stuart Clark – clarinet
Ryan Cockman – violin
Maria Conti – violin
Mike Cordone – trumpet
Phil Cornish –
Hammond B3 organ
Wade Culbreath –
timpani
Janet Darnall – violin
Charles Dixon – viola
Andrew Duckles – viol
Timothy Eckert – bass
Conni Ellisor – violin
Alicia Enstrom – violin
Lester Estelle – drums
Aben Eubanks – bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion
Leslie Fagan – flute
Katelyn Faraudo – French horn
Nicholas Gold – cello
Ali Gooding – violin
Erik Gratton – flute
Gerald Greer – violin
Jim Grosjean – viola
Jason Halbert – Hammond B3 organ, keyboards, piano, programming
Erin Hall – violin
Dylan Hart – French horn
Neel Hammond – violin
Keyon Harrold – trumpet
Amy Helman – violin
Mark Hill – bass
Luanne Homzy – violin
Jack Jezserio – bass
Tommy King – organ, piano
Pete Korpela – percussion
Jennifer Kummer – French horn
Marisa Kunney – violin
Anthony LaMarchina – cello
Jules Levy – bass
Keith Loftis –
tenor saxophone
Tim Loo – cello
Lucia Micarelli – violin
Camille Miller – violin
Jeffrey Miller – trombone
Jesse McGinty – saxophone
Ray Montiero – trumpet
Craig Nelson– bass
Jenni Olsen – flute
Alyssa Park – violin
Anthony Parnther –
bassoon
Greg Phillinganes – piano
Peter Povey – violin
Linnea Powell – viola
Aaron Redfield – drums, percussion
Sari Reist – cello
Danny Rivera –
baritone saxophone
Katty Rodriguez – baritone saxophone
Rob Schaer – trumpet
Erick Serna – guitar, ukulele
Jesse Shatkin – drum programming, percussion, synthesizers
Jung-Min Shin – violin
Garrett Smith – trombone
Vanessa Freebairn Smith – cello
Ron Sorbo – timpani, percussion
Anna Spina – French horn
Marcus Strickland – tenor saxophone
Luke Sullivant – guitar
Amy Tatum – flute
Charlie Tyler – cello
Alan Umstead – violin
Catherine Umstead – violin
Mary Kathryn VanOsdale – violin
Ina Veli – violin
Diana Wade – violin
Corey Wallace – trombone
Bruce Wethey – violin
Kyle Whalum – bass, upright bass
Lara Wickes –
oboe
Karen Winklemann – violin
Shu-Zheng – viola
Production
BTW Productions – music preparation
Drew Atz – brass recording
Greg Gigendad Burke – art direction and design
Nick Cazares – music librarian
John Chapman – orchestra recording
Nathan Cimino –
engineer
Anthony Circo – scoring coordinator
Kelly Clarkson – executive producer
Jessi Collins – vocal arrangements
Mike Cordone – brass arrangement
Danja – co-producer (track 6)
Spencer Dennis – assistant
John DeNosky – additional engineer, additional programming
Sam Dent – engineer
Jeff Fitzpatrick – pro tools operator
Gloria Elias-Foeillet – makeup
Chris Gehringer – mastering
Serban Ghenea – mixing
Jason Halbert – arrangement,
producer
Jennifer Hammond – additional orchestrations
John Hanes – engineer
Tom Hardisty – Eastwood Stage crew
Keyon Harrold – brass arrangement
Luanne Hornzy – concertmaster
Jason Lazarus – additional arrangement
Mark Lubetski – backline technician
Craig Kallman – executive producer
Whitney Martin – orchestra contractor
Candace Lambert McAndrews – styling
Jamie Olvera – Eastwood Stage crew
Rachel Orscher – additional programming
Tom Peltier – 2nd engineer
Greg Phillinganes – arrangement
Robert Ramos – hair
Clark Rhea – additional arrangement
Jesse Shatkin – engineer, producer
Carter Smith – photography
Nick Spezia – orchestra recording engineer
Andy Taub – engineer
Joseph Trapanese – orchestra arrangement, conductor, production
Robert Venable – engineer
Alan Umstead – orchestra contractor
Sam Wahl – engineer
Richard Wheeler, Jr. – Eastwood Stage crew
Booker White – music preparation
Shane Wilson – engineer
Derek Zeoli – technical coordinato
Ginna Zimmitti – orchestra contractor
Charts
Release history
References
^
"2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See the Complete Winners & Nominees List" .
^ Thaadeus, Shearmen (December 2, 2021).
" "Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around" ratings" . Retrieved March 26, 2022 .
^ Dwortz, Mallory (December 1, 2021).
"How to Watch "Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around" " .
MLive . Retrieved December 2, 2021 .
^
a
b Fisher, Kelly (September 27, 2021).
"Kelly Clarkson Dishes On Her 'Purpose' For Christmas Breakup Single" .
iHeartRadio . Retrieved October 3, 2021 .
^
a
b
c Towers, Andrea (September 23, 2021).
"Kelly Clarkson drops holiday breakup bop 'Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)' just in time for... fall" .
Entertainment Weekly .
Meredith . Retrieved October 3, 2021 .
^
a
b
c
d Calvario, Liz (September 24, 2021).
"Kelly Clarkson Shares the Inspiration Behind Her New Breakup Christmas Song and Holiday Album (Exclusive)" .
Entertainment Tonight . Retrieved October 3, 2021 .
^
a
b
"Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around (Target Exclusive, CD)(Christmas Card)" .
Target Corporation . Retrieved October 3, 2021 .
^ Zemler, Emily (September 23, 2021).
"Kelly Clarkson Welcomes the Holidays With 'Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)' " .
Rolling Stone . Retrieved October 3, 2021 .
^
Clarkson, Kelly ;
Stapleton, Chris (October 14, 2021).
"Spotify – Glow" . open.spotify.com .
^
Clarkson, Kelly ;
Grande, Ariana (October 14, 2021).
"Spotify – Santa, Can't You Hear Me" . open.spotify.com .
^ Caramanica, Jon (December 11, 2021).
"13 Albums That Revisit (and Redefine!) Holiday Classics" .
The New York Times . Retrieved December 11, 2021 .
^ Caramanica, Jon (December 28, 2021).
"What We Forgot to Talk About in 2021" .
The New York Times . Retrieved December 28, 2021 .
^ DeWald, Mike (October 15, 2021).
"Kelly Clarkson celebrates the season on 'When Christmas Comes Around…' " . Riff Magazine . RIFF Magazine. Retrieved October 15, 2021 .
^ Cinquemani, Sal (October 15, 2021).
"Review:Kelly Clarkson's When Christmas Comes Around Is a Jolly Breakup Album" . Slant Magazine . Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 15, 2021 .
^ Cinquemani, Sal (October 15, 2021).
"When Christmas Comes Around... Review by Marcy Donelson" . AllMusic . AllMusic. Retrieved October 15, 2021 .
^ Curto, Justin (October 15, 2021).
"Kelly Clarkson Declares It's Christmastime With When Christmas Comes Around …" . Vulture . Retrieved October 18, 2021 .
^
a
b
"When Christmas Comes Around... (CD Album)" .
HMV . Retrieved July 23, 2022 .
^ White, Jack (September 22, 2021).
"Kelly Clarkson to release second festive album When Christmas Comes Around... on October 15" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved September 22, 2021 .
^
"Ultratop.be – Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
^
"Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Canadian Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved December 29, 2021.
^
"Dutchcharts.nl – Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
^
"Offiziellecharts.de – Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around..." (in German).
GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
^
"Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 47. hét" (in Hungarian).
MAHASZ . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
^
"2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian).
AGATA . December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024 .
^
"NZ Top 40 Albums Chart" .
Recorded Music NZ . January 1, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2023 .
^
"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 23, 2021.
^
"Swisscharts.com – Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around..." . Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
^
"Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 23, 2021.
^
"Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100 – 22 October 2021 – 28 October 2021" .
Official Charts Company . October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021 .
^
"Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Billboard 200)" .
Billboard . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
^
"Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Holiday Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved October 25, 2021.
^ Clarkson, Kelly (September 22, 2021).
"When Christmas Comes Around..."
Apple Music . Retrieved September 22, 2021 .
External links
Studio albums Compilation albums Remix albums Extended plays Video releases Concert tours Television Bibliography Related articles Family