White Christmas (Martina McBride album)

White Christmas is the fifth album and first Christmas album by country singer Martina McBride issued by RCA Nashville in 1998. The album was reissued in 1999 with new artwork and two new tracks. It was re-released for the second time in October 2007 with newer artwork and four new tracks added. In 2013, it was reissued for a third time as The Classic Christmas Album. The re-release added her Elvis Presley duet, "Blue Christmas", which was originally released on his posthumous album Christmas Duets, while removing the track "Jingle Bells" and revising the track listing.

White Christmas
Cover of the 1999 re-release.
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 29, 1998
Recorded1998
GenreChristmas, country
Length41:06
LabelRCA Nashville
ProducerRob Christie
Martina McBride
Patrick Williams
Paul Worley
Martina McBride chronology
Evolution
(1997)
White Christmas
(1998)
Emotion
(1999)
Alternative covers
Cover of the 2007 re-release.
Alternative cover
Cover of the 2013 re-release.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]

In the U.S. the album White Christmas was certified Gold by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 9, 1999; then Platinum by the RIAA on November 10, 2003; and then double-Platinum by the RIAA on December 12, 2018. The album has sold 1,827,700 copies in the U.S. as of November 2017.[3]

Track listings

edit

Original 1998 release

edit

1999 re-release

edit
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Do You Hear What I Hear?"Gloria Shayne Baker, Noël Regney3:55
2."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"Martin, Blane4:05
3."Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"Styne, Cahn1:44
4."O Come All Ye Faithful"Frederick Oakeley, John Francis Wade3:58
5."The Christmas Song"Tormé, Wells3:38
6."O Holy Night"Adam, Dwight3:43
7."Silver Bells"Livingston, Evans2:40
8."Away in a Manger"Traditional3:27
9."White Christmas"Berlin3:18
10."What Child Is This?"Traditional3:45
11."I'll Be Home for Christmas"Ram, Gannon, Kent3:10
12."Silent Night"Gruber, Mohr3:22
Total length:40:45

2007 re-release

edit
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"Styne, Cahn1:44
2."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"Martin, Blane4:05
3."Silver Bells"Livingston, Evans2:40
4."Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley2:29
5."Do You Hear What I Hear?"Baker, Regney3:55
6."I'll Be Home for Christmas"Ram, Gannon, Kent3:10
7."Winter Wonderland"Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith3:26
8."O Come All Ye Faithful"Oakeley, Wade3:58
9."Away in a Manger"Traditional3:27
10."Baby, It's Cold Outside" (with Dean Martin) (Martin vocal 1959; McBride vocal 2006)Frank Loesser2:55
11."Jingle Bells"James Pierpont2:13
12."White Christmas"Berlin3:18
13."Silent Night"Gruber, Mohr3:22
14."The Christmas Song"Tormé, Wells3:38
15."What Child Is This?"Traditional3:45
16."O Holy Night"Adam, Dwight3:43
Total length:51:48

The Classic Christmas Album (2013 re-release)

edit
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"Styne, Cahn1:44
2."Silver Bells"Livingston, Evans2:40
3."The Christmas Song"Tormé, Wells3:38
4."Do You Hear What I Hear?"Baker, Regney3:55
5."Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"Mendelssohn, Wesley2:29
6."Away in a Manger"Traditional3:27
7."Winter Wonderland"Bernard, Smith3:26
8."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"Martin, Blane4:05
9."Blue Christmas" (with Elvis Presley [Presley vocal 1957; McBride vocal 2008])Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson2:13
10."O Come All Ye Faithful"Oakeley, Wade3:58
11."Silent Night"Gruber, Mohr3:22
12."White Christmas"Berlin3:18
13."Baby, It's Cold Outside" (with Dean Martin) (Martin vocal 1959; McBride vocal 2006)Loesser2:55
14."I'll Be Home for Christmas"Ram, Gannon, Kent3:10
15."What Child Is This?"Traditional3:45
16."O Holy Night"Adam, Dwight3:43
Total length:51:48

Personnel

edit

The Nashville String Machine

  • Dennis Burnside – string arrangements and conductor
  • Carl Gorodetzky – contractor
  • Chris Dunn – music preparation
  • John Catchings, Anthony LaMarchina, Bob Mason and Julie Tanner – cello
  • Craig Nelson – string bass
  • Mary Alice Hoepfinger – harp
  • Monisa Angell, Jim Grosjean, Gary Vanosdale and Kristin Wilkinson – viola
  • David Angell, Janet Askey, Carolyn Bailey, Joann Cruthirds, David Davidson, Conni Ellisor, Carl Gorodetzky, Gerald Greer, Lee Larrison, Cate Myer, Pamela Sixfin, Elisabeth Small, Alan Umstead, Cathy Umstead, Mary Kathryn Vanosdale and Karen Winkleman – violin

Production

edit
  • Martina McBride – producer
  • Paul Worley – producer
  • Rob Christie – producer
  • Patrick Williams – producer
  • Clarke Schleicher – recording, additional engineer, mixing
  • Jim Burnett – additional engineer
  • Tony Green – additional engineer, mix assistant
  • Mike Poole – additional engineer
  • Ed Simonton – additional engineer
  • Sandy Jenkins – additional assistant engineer, mix assistant
  • Eric Bickel – recording assistant
  • Greg Fogie – recording assistant
  • Erik Hellerman – recording assistant
  • Greg Parker – recording assistant
  • Scott Phillips – recording assistant
  • Glenn Spinner – recording assistant
  • Carlos Grier – digital editing
  • Eric Conn – digital editing
  • Denny Purcell – mastering
  • Jonathan Russell – mastering assistant
  • Deb Boyle – production coordinator
  • Paige Connors – production coordinator
  • Susan Eaddy – art direction
  • Mary Hamilton – art direction
  • Julie Wanca – design
  • Andrew Eccles – photography
  • Kristin Barlowe – 2007 photography
  • Claudia Fowler – wardrobe stylist
  • Earl Cox – hair stylist
  • Mary Beth Felts – make-up
  • Bruce Allen – management

Studios

  • Recorded at Ocean Way, Emerald Studios and The Tracking Room (Nashville, Tennessee).
  • Additional engineering at The Money Pit, Emerald Studios, Masterfonics, Seventeen Grand Recording, Sound Stage Studios and The Love Shack (Nashville, Tennessee).
  • Mixed at Sound Stage Studios and The Money Pit.
  • Mastered and Digitally Edited at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, Tennessee).

Charts and certifications

edit

Release history

edit
Region Date Label Format
United States September 29, 1998 RCA Nashville CD, Cassette (10 tracks)
September 14, 1999 CD (12 tracks)
October 2, 2007 CD, digital download (16 tracks)
October 6, 2009 Legacy Recordings CD+DVD
October 8, 2013 CD, digital download (16 tracks)

References

edit
  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  3. ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (November 26, 2017). "Top Country Catalog Sales Chart: November 26, 2017". Roughstock. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Martina McBride Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Martina McBride Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Martina McBride Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Martina McBride – White Christmas". Music Canada.
  9. ^ "American album certifications – Martina McBride – White Christmas". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 12, 2022.