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The Spirit of Christmas (Michael W. Smith album)
2014 studio album by Michael W. Smith From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Spirit of Christmas, officially titled as Michael W. Smith & Friends: The Spirit of Christmas is a duet Christmas album by Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith, released on September 30, 2014, through Capitol Records. This is Smith's fourth Christmas album. His previous Christmas album, It's a Wonderful Christmas, was released in 2007. The Spirit of Christmas won 2015 Dove Award for Christmas Album of the Year.[1]
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Background
This album features duets with several country music artists, including Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Martina McBride, and Vince Gill.[2] Other artists on it include U2 frontman Bono, Amy Grant, and Michael McDonald.[3] Bono is featured in spoken word on the track "The Darkest Midnight."[4]
Tour
Cracker Barrel sponsored Smith's 2014 "Spirit of Christmas Tour",[5] which started on November 30, 2014, and finished on December 21, 2014. The tour features a full symphony and consists of 14 shows, 3 of which were co-headlined with Amy Grant.
Smith toured this album again in 2015, also with Cracker Barrel sponsoring.[6] This time Amy Grant was featured in 8 of 13 shows. The tour began on December 4, 2015 in Kentucky, and ended on December 20, 2015 in Virginia.
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Critical reception
Jeffrey Lee Puckett for The Courier Journal said the album "gets the season of holiday Christmas albums off to a big start."[7]
Commercial performance
The album sold 4,000 copies in its first week of release, debuted at No. 80 on the Billboard 200[8] and peaked at No. 16 as of December 2014[update].[9] It also reached No. 13 on Top Album Sales Chart which counts traditional album sales and does not include streaming.[10] On the Top Christian Albums Chart, the album debuted at No. 5 and peaked at No. 1.[8] This marks Smith's third new album for 2014 to enter the Billboard 200. He previously released Sovereign, which debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, selling 16,000 copies;[11] and Hymns, which debuted at No. 25 with 12,000 copies.[12] As of January 2015, The Spirit of Christmas has sold 145,000 copies.[13]
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Track listing
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Personnel
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- Michael W. Smith – lead vocals (2-6, 8–12, 14), acoustic piano (6, 7-12, 14), arrangements (6–9), synthesizer (13)
- David Hamilton – orchestra arrangements and conductor (1-3, 5-7, 9-12, 14), synthesizer (1, 9, 12, 13), celeste (1, 6, 7), acoustic piano (2, 3, 5), backing vocals (3), Rhodes (4), arrangements (4, 5), percussion (9)
- Mark Baldwin – guitars (2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12)
- Chris Rodriguez – guitars (2, 3, 5, 8-10, 12)
- Tom Hemby – guitars (4)
- Vince Gill – guitar solo (4), lead and harmony vocals (4)
- Craig Nelson – bass (2, 9, 12), upright bass (3, 4, 5)
- Scott Williamson – drums (2-5, 9, 12)
- Tyler Smith – percussion programming (9)
- Josephine Knight – cello solo (8)
- Skip Cleavinger – low whistle (13)
- The London Session Orchestra – orchestra (1-3, 5-7, 9-12, 14)
- Thomas Bowes – concertmaster
- Isobel Griffiths – orchestra contractor
- Susie Gillis – orchestra contractor
- Ric Domenico – music preparation
- Ken Johnson – music preparation
- Laura Cooksey – backing vocals (3)
- Stephanie Hall-Wedan – backing vocals (3)
- Mark Ivey – backing vocals (3)
- Lady Antebellum – lead and backing vocals (5)
- Audrey Smith – lead vocal (6)
- The Nashville Children's Choir – choir (6, 12), directed by Kyle Hankins
- Little Big Town – lead and backing vocals (8)
- Martina McBride – lead vocals (9)
- Becca Hamilton – backing vocals (9)
- Amy Grant – lead vocals (10)
- Carrie Underwood – lead vocals (11)
- Jennifer Nettles – lead vocals (12)
- Bono – spoken word (13)
- Michael McDonald – harmony vocals (14)
Choir on "Almost There
- Melodie Kirkpatrick – contractor
- Jason Barton, April Duren, Mike Eldred, Rod Fletcher, Shelley Jennings, Tammy Jensen, Shelly Justice, Melodie Kirkpatrick, Jamiee Paul, Michelle Swift, Gary Robinson and David Wise – singers
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Production
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- Robert Deaton – executive producer, producer
- Greg Ham – executive producer
- Michael W. Smith – executive producer, producer
- David Hamilton – producer, editing, BGV recording (3, 9), vocal recording (MWS vocal on 5, 8, 9, 11, 14), celeste recording (6, 7), low whistle recording (13)
- Rob Burrell – rhythm track recording, editing, mixing, mastering, vocal recording (2-6, 8, 10-14), piano recording (6, 7, 8, 14), guitar recording (10), children's choir recording (12)
- Kam Luchterhand – rhythm track recording assistant
- Richard Swor – vocal recording assistant (2-6, 8, 10-14), children's choir recording assistant (12)
- Matt Rausch – recording (Vince Gill's guitar on 4), vocal recording (Amy Grant's vocal on 10)
- Chris Barrett – piano recording (10, 11)
- Brad Pooler – vocal recording assistant (MWS vocal on 5, 8, 9, 11, 14), vocal recording (Audrey Smith's vocal on 6), guitar recording (10)
- Allen Ditto – vocal recording (Martina McBride's vocal on 9)
- David Schober – choir recording (10)
- Mark Casselman – vocal recording (Michael McDonald's vocal on 14)
- Ken Johnson – production manager
- Sarah Sung – art and design
- Cameron Powell – photography
- Christin Cook – grooming
- Tasia Treimer – wardrobe stylist
- The MWS Group – management
Studios
- Ronnie's Place Studio (Nashville, Tennessee) – rhythm track recording
- Blackbird Studios (Nashville, Tennessee) – vocal recording
- The House (Nashville, Tennessee) – guitar recording, vocal recording
- The Tracking Room (Nashville, Tennessee) – choir recording
- AIR Studios (Lyndhurst Hall, London, UK) – orchestra recording, piano recording
- Paragon Studios (Franklin, Tennessee) – vocal recording, piano recording, children's choir recording
- The Manor (Franklin, Tennessee) – vocal recording, guitar recording
- Studiowave (Brentwood, Tennessee) – BGV recording, celeste recording, guitar recording, low whistle recording
- Sound Logic (Santa Barbara, California) – vocal recording
- emotionmix studios – mixing and mastering location
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Charts
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References
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