A Philly Special Christmas Special is the second studio album released by The Philly Specials, a vocal trio composed of Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Jordan Mailata. A sequel to A Philly Special Christmas, the album consist of covers of classic Christmas songs, and was released by Vera Y Records on December 1, 2023. It features appearances by Amos Lee, Patti LaBelle, The Philly Special Children's Choir, Waxahatchee, Howie Roseman, Jordan Davis, Travis Kelce, and The Silver Ages. Proceeds from the album are donated to the Children's Crisis Treatment Center and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.[1]
| A Philly Special Christmas Special | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | May–July 2023 | |||
| Studio | Elm Street Studio in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania | |||
| Genre | Christmas music | |||
| Label | Vera Y Records | |||
| Producer | Charlie Hall | |||
| The Philly Specials (Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce and Jordan Mailata) chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Philly Special Christmas Special | ||||
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Production
editThe album was recorded at Elm Street Studios in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, between May and July 2023.[2] The album artwork was designed by Hannah Westerman, based on Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip.[2][3][4]
Promotion
editOn November 23, an animated stop motion video was released, featuring the singers "attempting to rally their friends together for a holiday performance", and includes snippets of songs from the album.[5]
Release
editThe album was released on December 1, 2023, and was available through digital download and vinyl. A double album named A Philly Special Christmas Special (The Deluxe Album 2022 & 2023), which combined A Philly Special Christmas Special with its prequel A Philly Special Christmas, was also made available on vinyl only.[6]
Commercial performance
editThe album sold 28,000 copies in the US in its first week, with nearly 17,500 sold on vinyl.[6] It debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at No. 25.[7] The deluxe album sold nearly 20,000 copies and debuted at No. 55 on the Billboard 200.[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Christmas Song" (featuring Amos Lee) |
| 3:26 | |
| 2. | "This Christmas" (The Philly Specials, Jordan Mailata, featuring Patti LaBelle) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 3. | "Dominick the Donkey" (featuring Jason Kelce) |
|
| 2:47 |
| 4. | "Santa's Night" (featuring Jason Kelce) | Jason Kelce |
| 3:05 |
| 5. | "Christmas Time Is Here" (featuring The Philly Special Children's Choir) |
| 2:59 | |
| 6. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (featuring Jordan Mailata) |
| 4:13 | |
| 7. | "Pretty Paper" (The Philly Specials, Lane Johnson, featuring Waxahatchee) |
| 2:38 | |
| 8. | "The Dreidel Song" (featuring Howie Roseman) |
|
| 3:46 |
| 9. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (featuring Jordan Davis) |
| 2:40 | |
| 10. | "Fairytale of Philadelphia" (The Philly Specials, Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce) |
|
| 4:46 |
| 11. | "Auld Lang Syne" (The Philly Specials, The Silver Ages, featuring Jason Kelce) |
| 5:45 | |
| Total length: | 39:16 | |||
Personnel
edit- Charlie Hall – producer
- Nick Krill – audio engineer
- Connor Barwin – executive producer
- Lane Johnson – vocals
- Jason Kelce – vocals, writer (track 4)
- Jordan Mailata – vocals
- Recorded and engineered at
- Elm Street Studios, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
- Instrumentation
- Eric Bazilian
- Brandon Beaver – guitar
- Robbie Bennett
- Dan Blacksberg
- Mike Brenner – pedal steel guitar
- Matt Cappy
- Jay Davidson – harmonica
- Nasir Dickerson – saxophone
- DMHotep
- Brennen Ernst
- Justin Faulkner – drums
- Kevin Hanson – guitar
- Eliza Hardy Jones
- Thomas Hughes
- Rob Hyman
- James Lavino
- Zach Miller – piano
- Luke Carlos O'Reilly – piano
- Anthony Tidd – bass
- Featured vocals
- Jordan Davis (track 9)
- Travis Kelce (track 10)
- Patti LaBelle (track 2)
- Amos Lee (track 1)
- Howie Roseman (track 8)
- The Silver Ages (track 11)
- Waxahatchee (track 7)
- Jalen Hurts, Brandon Graham, Landon Dickerson, Nakobe Dean, Jeff Stoutland (track 11)
- Artwork
- Hannah Westerman
References
edit- ^ Hopkins, Earl (October 24, 2023). "The Eagles name Children's Crisis Treatment Center and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as beneficiaries of their new Christmas album". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ a b DeLuca, Dan (September 5, 2023). "The Birds are singing again: Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, and Lane Johnson have a new Eagles' Christmas album". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (December 1, 2023). "All the songs from the Eagles' new Christmas album reviewed. Yes, even the newest ones". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ "A Philly Special Christmas". A Philly Special Christmas Special | Official Website. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Newbill, Taleisha (November 23, 2023). "A Philly Special Christmas Special animation to premiere on YouTube Thanksgiving night". CBS News. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c Caulfield, Keith (December 11, 2023). "Philadelphia Eagles' 'A Philly Special Christmas Special' Charity Album Scores Big on Billboard Charts". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard 200: Week of December 16, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ "A Philly Special Christmas Special - Album by The Philly Specials". Apple Music. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
External links
edit- Official website
- A Philly Special Christmas Special at AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- A Philly Special Christmas Special at Discogs