''A Tori Kelly Christmas'' is the first

Christmas album Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of Je ...

and the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, by American singer

Tori Kelly Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition on YouTube before making it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' in 2010 and eventually releasing her debu ...

. It was released on October 30, 2020, through Schoolboy and

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. It is Kelly's first

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

album, and was executively produced by Kelly,

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

, and

Scooter Braun Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun ( ; born June 18, 1981) is an American businessman, investor, and record executive. Since 2023 he has served as chief executive officer (CEO) of Hybe America, the North American subsidiary of South Korean entertain ...

. The album contains cover versions of Christmas standards such as "

All I Want for Christmas is You "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fourth studio album and first holiday album, ''Merry Christmas'' (1994). She wrote and produced the song with Walter Afanasieff. It was released a ...

" and "

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", also known as simply "Let It Snow", is a song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945 in Hollywood, California, during a heatwave as Cahn and Styne imagined cooler conditions. ...

" alongside original songs which incorporate R&B elements. ''A Tori Kelly Christmas'' received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the album's musical style and Kelly's vocals, comparing the latter to

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

. However, some critics felt the original songs did not reach the same standard as Kelly's covers. The album debuted at number 17 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Top Holiday albums Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine only Record chart, charted Christmas Single (music), singles and albums along with the other popular non-holiday Phonograph record, records until the 1958 Christmas and holiday season, holiday season w ...

and received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2021.

Background and release

In mid-2020 during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Kelly released her third

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

, ''

Solitude Solitude, also known as social withdrawal, is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may wo ...

''. Kelly later announced that she was working on a Christmas album. On social media, Kelly noted that she has always wanted to release a Christmas album. In a press conference, it was announced the album would "include two original songs, in addition to yuletide favorites". The album was co-produced by

and on working with him, Kelly stated that,

I'm so grateful to Babyface for helping me create an album that I am so proud of ..I still can't believe that I got to work with such a legend on my first-ever Christmas album. He really brought my vision to life and made every song so special.

Before the release of the album, Kelly hosted a zoom listening party. ''A Tori Kelly Christmas'' was released on October 30.

Composition and production

Kelly cited

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

and

Crystal Lewis Crystal Lynn Lewis (born September 11, 1969) is an American contemporary Christian and jazz singer and songwriter. Lewis has been nominated for several Grammy Awards, and has won multiple GMA Dove Awards. Additionally, she has released numerous ...

as influences while creating the album. Kelly noted on her zoom listening party that it was her "first experience writing a few songs completely virtually". ''The Knockturnal'' writer, Sabine West, attended the zoom and noted that, "When deciding on songs to include on the album, ellystuck close to her roots. Many of the songs are family favorites that she grew up singing with her family around the holidays". Overall, the album consists of traditional Christmas songs along with two original songs.

Music and content

The album begins with a cover of "

Silent Night "Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO The United Nations Educati ...

" which garnered comparisons to

(who also began her first Christmas album with the same song), and acts as a "four-minute gospel showcase". Some critics noted its difference from the original which "is extremely slow and mellow". Kelly, however, "proudly utilizes her insane vocal cords to hit some to-die-for notes within the chorus". This is followed by "25th", the first of her two original songs. The song is "replete with jingle bells and plays off of the idea that all a person wants on Christmas is the one they love—not exactly revolutionary but still fun". This is followed by a cover of

Lee Mendelson Leland Maurice Mendelson (March 24, 1933 – December 25, 2019) was an American animation producer and executive producer of many ''Peanuts'' animated specials. Biography Mendelson was born in San Francisco and grew up in San Mateo graduating ...

and

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; birth name, né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this s ...

's "

Christmas Time Is Here "Christmas Time Is Here" is a popular Christmas standard written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 CBS television special ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'', one of the first animated Christmas specials produced for network television i ...

" from ''

A Charlie Brown Christmas ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' is a 1965 animated television special. It is the first TV special based on the comic strip ''Peanuts'', by Charles M. Schulz, and features the voices of Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Kathy Steinberg, Tracy Str ...

''.

Joy to the World "Joy to the World" is an English hymn and Christmas carol. It was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnist Isaac Watts. It is usually sung to the American composer Lowell Mason's 1848 arrangement of a tune attributed to George Fride ...

/ Joyful, Joyful" is a gospel-inspired track which was compared to her previous

winning album, '' Hiding Place'', which won for Best Gospel Album. Her cover of

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ; June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, Light music, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams descri ...

's "

Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" is a Light music, light orchestra Standard (music), standard composed by Leroy Anderson. He formed the idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and finished it in February 1948. Its first performance was by the Boston Po ...

" is "filled with upbeat instrumentation and rumbling bass" and Piper Westrom of ''Riff'' noted that there was a "fair amount of scatting throughout that provides another comparison between herself and ariah Carey. This is followed by a soothing and heartfelt cover of "

O Holy Night "O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a sacred song about the night of the birth of Jesus Christ, described in the first verse as "the dear Saviour", and frequently performed as a Christmas carol. Based on the French-language poem ''Minuit, ch ...

" which is "tampered down" in comparison to other popular renditions of the song. Kelly's second original song, "Gift That Keeps on Giving" was described as a song straight out of a

Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

film and centres around love being better than any present. "Elf Interlude" is an

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

interpretation of the instrumental theme from ''

Elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...

''; Kelly has cited the

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...

film as one of her all-time favorite Christmas films. This is followed by Kelly's duet with

of "

Let It Snow "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", also known as simply "Let It Snow", is a song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945 in Hollywood, California, during a heatwave as Cahn and Styne imagined cooler conditions. ...

" which provided "the perfect amount of R&B fluidity and holiday spirit to make anyone begin to wish for snow and hot cocoa". This is followed by " O Come, O Come Emmanuel/

O Come All Ye Faithful "O Come, All Ye Faithful", also known as "", is a Christmas carol that has been attributed to various authors, including John Francis Wade (1711–1786), John Reading (1645–1692), King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656), and anonymous Ciste ...

" which was "key to keeping the festive album from becoming exasperatingly cheery". The song "highlights the power of elly'svoice as she holds a number of long, loud notes while singing fervently". " Go Tell It on the Mountain" is not usually a song on many Christmas albums and ''Riff'' writer Piper Westrom noted that it is usually reserved for church choirs. Despite this, Kelly "put her own pop spin on it and still maintained the gravity and significance of a song about the birth of Jesus in a way that even old-school carolers will likely appreciate". Kelly covered Donny Hathaway's " This Christmas" which was compared to

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

's version on her 2000 Christmas album, '' My Kind of Christmas''. Kelly's version of the song additionally sampled and used elements from " Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" by

NSYNC NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...

. The standard edition of the album ended with Kelly's cover of

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (raised as Scott Moorhead; November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) was an American musician. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, he attracted a cult following in the early 1990s performing at venues in ...

's song,

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' (; , Modern ) is an interjection from the Hebrew language, used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Tanakh (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four times in the Christ ...

" from the 2016 animated feature film ''

Sing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

''. On the

Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...

deluxe edition, there were two extra tracks: "Kid Again on Christmas", co-written by

Wrabel Stephen Samuel Wrabel (born January 7, 1989), known mononymously as Wrabel ( ), is an American singer, songwriter and musician based in Los Angeles. Life and career Wrabel attended private high school at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texa ...

is a "sentimental piano ballad" alongside a stripped-down acoustic cover of Mariah Carey's "

All I Want For Christmas Is You "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fourth studio album and first holiday album, ''Merry Christmas'' (1994). She wrote and produced the song with Walter Afanasieff. It was released a ...

", which Kelly called a tribute to Carey.

Reception

Critical reception

Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews. ''Riff'' writer Piper Westrom noted that in 2020, there was an abundant of artists releasing Christmas albums and that Kelly was "among those lending her powerful pipes to the holiday season". Westrom praised Kelly's spin on the original Christmas songs and went on to say that, "Kelly did everything right for her entry into the Christmas album genre. Her voice is powerful and silky as ever on these classics". ''

The Daily Californian ''The Daily Californian'' (''Daily Cal'') is an independent, student-run newspaper that serves the University of California, Berkeley, campus and its surrounding community. History 20th century ''The Daily Californian'' became independent fro ...

'' writer Daniella Lake stated that "Kelly's covers offer an engaging, contemporary spin on holiday classics" but criticised her original songs. Despite this, Lake went on to praise Kelly's versatility and noted that Kelly has since "mastered singing across multiple genres from pop to gospel, and with ''A Tori Kelly Christmas'', she can consider the holiday genre successfully conquered".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor Neil Z. Yeung gave the album high praise, comparing Kelly's vocal to American singers

and

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

, going on to call the album a "pure comfort and joy for the holiday season". ''The Central Trend'' writer, Avery Jordan, noted that the album is "bound to become a classic". He adds that the world may "be hearing these soon-to-be Christmas classics on the radio for years, and Kelly will perhaps even become 2020's Mariah Carey".

Accolades

Promotion

Live performances

On December 21, Kelly performed a holiday concert at

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

Drive-In A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or Drive-in theater, movie theater) where one can driving, drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by ...

to promote the album. The ''

Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily List of newspapers in California, newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digit ...

'' writer Kelli Skye Fadroski praised Kelly's performance calling it "powerful and often moving".

also performed as a special guest. To promote the album further, Kelly flew to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and made her debut in the 94th annual

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...

performing "25th" from atop a picture-perfect village on a float. On December 2, she also performed at

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's Christmas in Rockefeller Center.

Singles

The first single for the album was a cover of "

" featuring

. It was released on October 29, 2020. "25th" was released as the second single of the album on November 25, 2020. A music video was released on November 26, 2020 and was directed by Jo Roy.

Track listing

All tracks are produced by

and Demonte Posey, except where noted. Samples credits * "Elf Interlude" contains elements from the

main title The main title is the music, often later recorded on soundtrack albums, that is heard in a film while the opening credits are rolling. It does not refer to music playing from on-screen sources such as radios, as in the original opening credits seq ...

of ''

'' * "This Christmas" contains elements of " Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" by

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tori Kelly Christmas 2020 Christmas albums Tori Kelly albums Capitol Records Christmas albums Christmas albums by American artists Gospel Christmas albums