The Gift (Susan Boyle album)

The Gift is the second album and first Christmas album by Scottish singer Susan Boyle, which was released on 8 November 2010.[3] Boyle hinted that the album has a 1960s feel "because that was [her] era".[4][5] on 30 November 2011, the album received a nomination in 54th Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

The Gift
Studio album by
Susan Boyle
Released8 November 2010
RecordedJuly–September 2010
London, England
GenreOperatic pop, holiday, crossover, adult contemporary, easy listening, Christmas[1]
Length35:13
LabelSyco/Columbia
ProducerSteve Mac[2]
Susan Boyle chronology
I Dreamed a Dream
(2009)		 The Gift
(2010)		 Someone to Watch Over Me
(2011)
Singles from The Gift
  1. "Perfect Day"
    Released: 8 November 2010

Background

It was produced by Steve Mac, who says, "Now Susan’s used to the studio and the recording process, this time round we might go even further down a traditional route of recording by getting a band together and rehearsing songs before we go into the studio to see what works, how she reacts with certain parts, and so we can change the arrangements that way. I think that’s going to work much better... With Susan it's very important she connects with the public and the public connect with her. She doesn’t want to sing anything that hasn’t happened to her or she can't relate to."[2]

Susan's Search competition

In a lead up to the release, Boyle offered her fans a chance to duet with her, with a competition titled Susan's Search. Applicants had to record a video of themselves singing "Silent Night" and upload it to her YouTube channel.[6] The winner was 33-year-old paramedic Amber Stassi of Brewerton, New York.[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic62/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[9]
BBC Music(favourable)[10]
Metro International(mixed)[11]
Yahoo! Music[12]

The album has received generally lukewarm reviews from critics.[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album two and a half out of five stars, complimenting Boyle as the right person to make a holiday album, but referred to the music as "predictable".[9] Graham Rockingham of Metro International gave the album mixed reviews, criticising how the album can be a number 1 charter, but at the same time be well suited for traditional carols.

Commercial performance

In the UK, The Gift debuted at No. 1. However, it only remained at the top spot for one week and dropped out of the chart altogether after eleven weeks.[13] In comparison, Boyle's first album topped the UK chart for four weeks and remained on the chart for 39 weeks.

In the United States, The Gift debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 318,000 copies.[14] In its second week, the album stayed at No. 1, and sold even more copies: 335,000.[15] In its third week, it dropped to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 263,000 copies.[16] In its fourth week, The Gift returned to No. 1, selling 272,000 additional copies.[17] The album remained at No. 1 in its fifth week with sales of 243,000 copies.[18] By the end of 2010, sales of The Gift totalled 1,852,000 copies in the United States, and was the fifth best-selling album for the year.[19][20] As of November 2014, the album has attained cumulative sales of 2,180,000 copies in the United States according to SoundScan.[21]

The album debuted at No. 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 13,000 copies in its first week.[22]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."Perfect Day"Lou ReedLou Reed4:31
2."Hallelujah"Leonard CohenLeonard Cohen3:53
3."Do You Hear What I Hear?" (featuring Amber Stassi)Noël Regney, Gloria Shayne BakerHarry Simeone Chorale3:55
4."Don't Dream It's Over"Neil FinnCrowded House3:47
5."The First Noel"Trad/Arranger Steve Mac, David ArchChristmas carol2:59
6."O Holy Night"Adolphe Adam, John Sullivan Dwight / Arranger Steve Mac, David ArchChristmas carol4:05
7."Away in a Manger"Trad/Arranger Steve Mac, David ArchChristmas carol2:56
8."Make Me a Channel of Your Peace"Trad/Arranger Sebastian TempleChristian hymn4:24
9."Auld Lang Syne"Robert Burns, Trad/Arranger Steve Mac, David ArchFolk song2:45
10."O Come All Ye Faithful"Trad/Arranger Steve Mac, David ArchChristian hymn2:06
11."Vapor Trail" (Japanese bonus track)Yumi AraiYumi Arai3:46

[23]

Release history
Country Release date Format(s)
United Kingdom 8 November 2010 CD, digital download
Canada 9 November 2010
United States
Japan 10 November 2010
Argentina 10 November 2010

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia 3× Platinum[40] 210,000
Belgium Gold[41] 10,000
Canada 2× Platinum 160,000[42]
Hungary Gold[41] 3,000
Ireland 2× Platinum 30,000[43]
Netherlands Gold[41] 25,000
New Zealand 4× Platinum[44] 60,000
Sweden Gold[45] 20,000
United States 3× Platinum[46] 2,180,000[21]
United Kingdom 2× Platinum[47] 600,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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gollark: Stuff like "the universe is god" ends up just fiddling with the definitions of "god" enough to make it useless, while bringing on all the god-related baggage.
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References
  1. Christman, Ed (22 July 2010). "Susan Boyle Recording Christmas Album: Sources". Billboard.com. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  2. Bouwman, Kimbel. "Interview with Steve Mac, producer for Susan Boyle, JLS, Il Divo, The Saturdays". HitQuarters. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012.
  3. "Susan Boyle: Gift (2010)". HMV Group. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  4. "Q&A With Susan Part 3". Susan Boyle official website. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  5. Kaufman, Gil. "Susan Boyle's Debut Smashes U.S. Chart Records". MTV.
  6. Reuters. "Susan Boyle launches contest to find duet partner". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  7. "Susan's Search Winner Announced!". Susan Boyle official website. 13 August 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  8. "The Gift - Susan Boyle". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  9. "allmusic ((( The Gift > Overview)))". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  10. "Music - Review of Susan Boyle - The Gift". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  11. "Metro - Susan Boyle makes for a pleasant enough Christmas album". Metronews.ca. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  12. 2 hrs ago (20 April 2011). "Yahoo! UK & Ireland omg! - Celebrity Gossip | News | Photos | Videos". New.uk.music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  13. "Official Charts Company - Susan Boyle - The Gift". archive.is. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  14. "Susan Boyle Tops Billboard 200, 'Glee' Reigns on Digital Songs – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  15. "Susan Boyle's 'Gift' Tops Rihanna, Kid Rock on Billboard 200 – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  16. Grein, Paul (28 November 2010). "Week Ending Nov. 28, 2010: The King And Queen Of Hip-Hop". Yahoo Music. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  17. Grein, Paul (8 December 2010). "Week Ending Dec. 5, 2010: The "Gift" That Keeps On Giving". Yahoo Music. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  18. Kaulfield, Keith (15 December 2010). "Boyle's 'Gift' Keeps Giving on Billboard 200, 'Tron' Hits Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  19. Kaulfield, Keith (5 January 2011). "Eminem's 'Recovery' Is 2010's Best-Selling Album; Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' Top Digital Song". Billboard. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  20. "Eminem's 'Recovery' Is 2010's Best-Selling Album; Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' Top Digital Song". Billboard. 14 September 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
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  29. "Chart Track". FIMI. GfK. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  30. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Retrieved 22 November 2010.
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  38. "2019 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
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  43. Jaclyn Ward (1 October 1962). "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  44. https://web.archive.org/web/20100602125740/http://www.radioscope.net.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=61. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  45. "Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan.se. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
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  47. "BPI SALES AWARDS LAUNCH AUTOMATIC CERTIFICATION". BPI. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
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