Home for Christmas (Celtic Woman album)
Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas is the eighth studio album released by the group Celtic Woman, released on 9 October 2012.[1] It is the third Christmas album released by the group, but only the second available for international purchase.
| Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 9 October 2012 | |||
| Recorded | July–August 2012 | |||
| Studio | STUDIOTWO, Dublin, Ireland | |||
| Genre | Celtic, new-age, classical, Christmas | |||
| Language | English, Latin | |||
| Label | Manhattan Records | |||
| Producer | David Downes | |||
| Celtic Woman chronology | ||||
| ||||
Home for Christmas features vocalists Chloë Agnew, Lisa Lambe, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, and fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt.[1] This is the first album to feature Ní Mhaolchatha since her departure from the group in 2007 following the release of the DVD and PBS special accompanying the group's first Christmas album, A Christmas Celebration. It is also the first album not to feature founding member Lisa Kelly, who was at the time on maternity leave (though she appears on the bonus track included with the Japanese edition of the album).
Track listing
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | Lisa Lambe | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" | Chloë Agnew, Lambe, Máiréad Nesbitt, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha | 5:01 |
| 3. | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" | Agnew, Nesbitt | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Silent Night" | Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:35 |
| 5. | "We Three Kings" | Agnew, Lambe, Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:37 |
| 6. | "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" | Agnew, Lambe, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:37 |
| 7. | "What Child Is This?" | Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 4:31 |
| 8. | "Adeste Fideles" | Agnew | 4:20 |
| 9. | "Winter Wonderland" | Agnew, Lambe, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 2:51 |
| 10. | "Mary's Boy Child" | Agnew, Lambe, Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:07 |
| 11. | "Auld Lang Syne" | Lambe | 3:27 |
| 12. | "Joy to the World" | Agnew, Lambe, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 2:55 |
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "The First Tree in the Greenwood (The Sans Day Carol)" | Agnew, Lambe, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:24 |
| 14. | "An Angel" | Agnew, Lambe, Nesbitt | 3:36 |
| 15. | "In the Bleak Midwinter" | Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:30 |
| 16. | "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" | Agnew, Lambe, Nesbitt | 4:29 |
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "You Raise Me Up" (Inori Version; featuring Hiroko Yakushimaru) | Agnew, Lisa Kelly, Lambe, Nesbitt | 4:39 |
PBS special, DVD and Blu-ray release background
The accompanying concert special to the album, entitled Home for Christmas: Live from Dublin, was recorded live at the Helix Theatre in Dublin, Ireland on 7 August 2013 in front of an invited audience. Unlike the album, the line-up of performers was slightly different; former member Chloë Agnew announced prior to the recording of the special that she would be leaving Celtic Woman to focus on solo projects. Since a replacement for Agnew wasn't announced beforehand, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha again returned to take her place with current members Lisa Lambe, Susan McFadden, and Máiréad Nesbitt, for the recording of the special.
The album was re-released on 29 October 2013 in a combo pack containing a DVD copy of the concert, while separate DVD and Blu-ray copies were also issued on the same day. The DVD and Blu-ray releases also include four bonus tracks recorded as part of an acoustic session in the venue prior to the concert with pianist and musical director David Downes.
DVD and Blu-ray track listing
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Winter Wonderland" | Lisa Lambe, Susan McFadden, Máiréad Nesbitt, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:22 |
| 2. | "What Child is This?" | Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 4:29 |
| 3. | "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" | Lambe, McFadden, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:22 |
| 4. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | Lambe | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" | Lambe, McFadden, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" | McFadden, Nesbitt | 3:40 |
| 7. | "We Three Kings" | Lambe, McFadden, Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Carol of the Bells" | Nesbitt | 2:16 |
| 9. | "O Tannenbaum" | Lambe, McFadden, Ní Mhaolchatha | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Silent Night" | Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:31 |
| 11. | "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" | Lambe, McFadden, Ní Mhaolchatha | 2:57 |
| 12. | "The Light of Christmas Morn" | Lambe, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 2:57 |
| 13. | "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" | McFadden | 4:12 |
| 14. | "Auld Lang Syne" | Lambe | 2:38 |
| 15. | "Joy to the World" | Lambe, McFadden, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha | 3:18 |
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Away in a Manger" | Lambe | |
| 2. | "The Christmas Song" | McFadden | |
| 3. | "In the Bleak Midwinter" | Ní Mhaolchatha | |
| 4. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Lambe, McFadden, Nesbitt, Ní Mhaolchatha |
Personnel
Per the liner notes:
Featured performers
- Chloë Agnew – vocals
- Lisa Kelly – vocals (Japanese edition only)
- Lisa Lambe – vocals
- Máiréad Nesbitt – fiddle
- Méav Ní Mhaolchatha – vocals
Musicians
- David Downes – grand piano, whistles, uilleann pipes, percussion, keyboards, orchestrations, choral arrangements, programming
- Anthony Byrne – bagpipes
- Andrew Boland – buann-xa-perqua
The Irish Film Orchestra
- Caitríona Walsh – orchestra contractor
- John Page – conductor
- Therese Timoney – concertmaster
- Martin Johnston – solo cello
- David Agnew – cor anglais
Irish Philharmonic Choir
- Paul McGough – choral contractor
- David Leigh – choral director
Production
- Produced and arranged by David Downes
- Engineered and mixed by Andrew Boland (additional engineering by David Downes)
- Recorded and mixed at STUDIOTWO, Dublin, Ireland
- Orchestra and choir recorded at RTÉ STUDIO ONE, Dublin, Ireland
- Mastered by Ray Staff at Air Lyndhurst, London, United Kingdom
- Bonus tracks mastered by Kevin Bartley at Capitol Mastering, Hollywood, California, United States
Charts
The album was officially certified Platinum around 7 March 2013.[2]
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[3] | 16 |
| US Billboard 200[4] | 43 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[5] | 2 |
| US World Albums (Billboard)[6] | 1 |
References
- Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas on official website Archived 10 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- "Celtic Woman Christmas album goes Platinum : Celtic Woman". Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- "Swisscharts.com – Celtic Woman – Home for Christmas". Hung Medien.
- "Celtic Woman Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- "Celtic Woman Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard.
- "Celtic Woman Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard.