Maybe This Christmas
Maybe This Christmas is a holiday compilation album released in November 2002 through Nettwerk Records featuring contemporary musicians performing both classic and original Christmas songs.[1] The album, named by Ron Sexsmith, is the first in a series of three holiday compilations released through the record label between 2002 and 2004. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of each album went to Toys for Tots, a charity supported by the United States Marine Corps. Most of the tracks exclusive to Maybe This Christmas were recorded just a few months prior to its release. The album's cover art was designed by artist Paul Frank, creator of Julius the pictured "wide-mouth monkey". Critical reception of the compilation was mixed, with reviewers often complimenting or criticizing select tracks. In the United States, the album reached a peak position of number thirty-eight on Billboard's Top Holiday Albums chart.
Maybe This Christmas | ||||
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Compilation album by various artists | ||||
Released | November 5, 2002 | |||
Genre | Holiday, international, pop rock[1] | |||
Length | 41:39 | |||
Label | Nettwerk | |||
Producer | Darin Harmon (executive) | |||
Maybe This Christmas chronology | ||||
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Background and composition
Maybe This Christmas is the first in a series of three consecutive holiday compilation albums released through Nettwerk.[2] Maybe This Christmas Too? and Maybe This Christmas Tree were released in October 2003 and October 2004, respectively.[3][4] The series was named by Ron Sexsmith, who contributed the title track to the compilation.[2] A portion of the proceeds from the sales of each album went to Toys for Tots, a charity supported by the United States Marine Corps.[1][3][4] Maybe This Christmas contains thirteen "rock-oriented" tracks recorded by various artists.[1][5] Most of the tracks exclusive to the album were recorded just a few months prior to its release.[6] Allmusic's MacKenzie Wilson dubbed the compilation an "album suited for those twenty-somethings searching for [their] not-so-typical Christmas collection."[1] The cover art was designed by artist Paul Frank, creator of Julius the "illustrated, wide-mouth monkey".[6]
The album opens with Phantom Planet's "sweet rock romp" rendition of Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith's "Winter Wonderland".[1] Sexsmith's title track is less than two minutes in length and has a shuffling beat.[7] "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin) features a downtempo, "jazz-like" solo piano performance by Chris Martin of Coldplay.[1][7] Tracks exclusive to the album include Vanessa Carlton's piano-driven rendition of the traditional song "Greensleeves" as well as Bright Eyes' cover of "Blue Christmas" (Bill Hayes, Jay Johnson); others include Sense Field's version of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and "What a Year for a New Year" by Dan Wilson, lead singer of the rock band Semisonic.[6]
Jimmy Eat World's "12/23/95", described by The Austin Chronicle's Christopher Gray as "serious emo" and The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh as a "gentle ballad of apology",[7][8] previously appeared on the band's 1999 album Clarity.[1][9] The song title and date refer to Little Christmas Eve, the traditional day on which Norwegians decorate Christmas trees.[10] Jack Johnson incorporates an "upbeat street-corner" shuffle into his version of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks, Robert L. May), just over two minutes in length.[11] The traditional song "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is performed as a duet by the Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan.[12] Following is a string of original songs, including "Bizarre Christmas Incident" by Ben Folds, "What a Year for a New Year" by Dan Wilson and Neil Finn's "Sweet Secret Peace". "Winter Wonderland," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Bizarre Christmas Incident" were recorded previously for fans but had not been released commercially.[6] The closing track, "Snow" (Archibald Lampman, Loreena McKennitt) was performed by McKennitt and has been described as a "haunting, orchestral new-age hymn that could fit nicely into a midnight Mass."[11]
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Entertainment Weekly | B[5] |
The Phoenix |
Maybe This Christmas received mixed critical reception. Many reviewers complimented or criticized select tracks, though Jimmy Eat World's "12/23/95" received the most praise. Allmusic's MacKenzie Wilson awarded the album three out of five stars and described it as a "solid holiday effort" for both "casual and die-hard music fans".[1] Wilson considered "12/23/95" the album's standout track and wrote that performances by Bright Eyes, Loreena McKennitt, Sense Field, and Dan Wilson provided traditional carols with a "fresh face" along with their own "dash of coolness".[1] She also complimented Coldplay's rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", calling it as "endearing" as the original, and thought Sarah McLachlan's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" was "playfully charming".[1] Christopher Gray of The Austin Chronicle considered "Blue Christmas" the best and "Bizarre Christmas Incident" the "funniest" track on the compilation.[8]
Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a "B" rating and called it a "mixed bag". He described performances by Vanessa Carlton and Bright Eyes as "painful" but also complimented the Barenaked Ladies and McLachlan for their collaboration.[5] Willman considered Wilson's "What a Year for a New Year" the stand-out track of the album.[5] Annie Zaleski of The Phoenix rated the album 2.5 out of 4 stars, calling some of the collection "gorgeous and alluring" but most of it "subdued".[11] Zaleski complimented the title track but criticized performances by Coldplay and Bright Eyes, the latter for its "unsteady, wobbly twang".[11] Zaleski and Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times also praised "12/23/95".[7] Zaleski concluded: "Not exactly your traditional take on traditional holiday fare, but a pleasant alternative to all the muzak you have to put up with this time of year."[11]
Track listing
- "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith), performed by Phantom Planet – 2:47
- "Maybe This Christmas" (Ron Sexsmith), performed by Ron Sexsmith – 1:53
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin), performed by Coldplay – 2:22
- "Greensleeves" (traditional), performed by Vanessa Carlton – 3:35
- "Blue Christmas" (Bill Hayes, Jay Johnson), performed by Bright Eyes – 2:21
- "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" (John Lennon, Yoko Ono), performed by Sense Field – 3:29
- "12/23/95" (Jimmy Eat World), performed by Jimmy Eat World – 3:37
- "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks), performed by Jack Johnson – 2:09
- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (traditional), performed by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan – 3:30
- "Bizarre Christmas Incident" (Ben Folds), performed by Ben Folds – 2:24
- "What a Year for a New Year" (Dan Wilson), performed by Dan Wilson – 4:06
- "Sweet Secret Peace" (Neil Finn, Michael Leunig), performed by Neil Finn – 3:50
- "Snow" (Archibald Lampman, Loreena McKennitt), performed by Loreena McKennitt – 5:36
Track listing adapted from Allmusic.[1]
Personnel
- Simon Askew – engineer, mixing
- Barenaked Ladies – arranger, primary artist
- Felix Bernard – composer
- Ralph Blane – composer
- Bright Eyes – primary artist
- Vanessa Carlton – arranger, piano, primary artist, vocals
- Mark Chalecki – mastering
- Coldplay – primary artist
- Jim Creeggan – bass
- Chris Evenson – mixing, producer
- Mike Farrell – trumpet
- Neil Finn – composer, piano, primary artist, vibraphone, vocals
- Ben Folds – composer, instrumentation, primary artist
- Lisa Germano – violin
- Darin Harmon – executive producer
- Bill Hayes – composer
- Matt Hensley – accordion
- Jimmy Eat World – composer, primary artist
- Jack Johnson – guitar, primary artist, vocals
- Jay Johnson – composer
- Brad Kern – engineer, mixing
- Don Kerr – backing vocals, drums, xylophone
- Archibald Lampman – composer
- John Lennon – composer
- Johnny Marks – composer
- Hugh Martin – composer
- Robert L. May – composer
- Loreena McKennitt – composer, harp, primary artist, tin whistle, vocals
- Sarah McLachlan – primary artist, vocals
- Marco Migliari – engineer
- Yoko Ono – composer
- Steven Page – vocals
- Phantom Planet – primary artist, producer
- Ed Robertson – vocals
- Andy Rogers – producer
- Michael C. Ross – mixing
- Sense Field – primary Artist
- Ron Sexsmith – composer, guitar, organ, primary artist, vocals
- Richard B. Smith – composer
- Sebastian Steinberg – bass
- Tyler Stewart
- Tom Weir – producer
- Dan Wilson – composer, mixing, primary artist, producer
Credits adapted from Allmusic.[1]
Charts
In the United States, Maybe This Christmas reached a peak position of number thirty-eight on Billboard's Top Holiday Albums chart.[13]
See also
References
- Wilson, MacKenzie. "Maybe This Christmas". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- "Christmas on the Nettwerk". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. October 19, 2004. ISSN 1540-3106. Archived from the original on December 26, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- Wilson, MacKenzie. "Maybe This Christmas Too". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- Wilson, MacKenzie. "Maybe This Christmas Tree". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- Willman, Chris (December 6, 2002). "Maybe This Christmas (2002)". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- "Jimmy Eat World, Vanessa Carlton Decorate Charity Xmas LP". VH1. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- Sanneh, Kelefa (December 6, 2002). "Holiday Albums; Maybe This Christmas". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- Gray, Christopher (December 20, 2002). "Maybe This Christmas". The Austin Chronicle. Austin, Texas: Austin Chronicle Corporation. ISSN 1074-0740. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- "Clarity". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- Steves, Rick. "Norwegian Christmas". RickSteves.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- Zaleski, Annie (December 19–26, 2002). "Various Artists: Maybe This Christmas". The Phoenix. Boston, Massachusetts: Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- Mayfield, James E. "Let It Snow". American Way. AMR Corporation. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- "Nettwerk Plans Christmas, Kids Compilations". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2012.