Christmas, With Love

by Leona Lewis

Overview

Deliberately designed as an homage to perhaps the greatest pop Christmas album ever, the 1963 classic A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, Leona Lewis' 2013 seasonal album Christmas, with Love is by any measure a welcome surprise. Warmer and shorter than any of her previous albums, Christmas, with Love emphasizes Leona the singer, not the Leona the diva, and while this is certainly overblown -- anything patterned after Spector isn't striving for intimacy -- she gets a greater chance to sing here than she did on her third album, Glassheart, which is reason enough to enjoy the album, but better still is that the Spector salute largely works. Occasionally, the newly written songs are a little sleepy, but it's only when she ventures into a stately carol, as she does on "Your Hallelujah." This is the exception on an album that's buoyant and bright, filled with clattering good cheer, sleigh bells, choirs, and saxophones. Lewis covers three songs from A Christmas Gift (the ubiquitous "Christmas [Baby Please Come Home]," "Winter Wonderland," and "Silent Night"); pays tribute to Roy Wood's joyous Spector homage "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday"; and then co-writes two of her own, "One More Sleep" and "Mr. Right," new seasonal selections that could turn out to be perennials. Christmas, with Love is that rare thing: a tribute that is faithful to its inspiration while working on its own terms. It's one of the best modern Christmas albums in memory. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/26/2021
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0194399341315
Rank:	113357

Tracks

1. One More Sleep
2. Winter Wonderland
3. White Christmas
4. Your Hallelujah
5. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
6. Mr Right
7. O Holy Night
8. I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday
9. Ave Maria
10. Silent Night
11. Kiss Me It's Christmas
12. If I Can't Have You

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Leona Lewis   Primary Artist
Freddy Sheed   Drums
Steve Morris   Violin
Graeme Flowers   Trumpet
Seton Daunt   Bass,Guitar
Bruce White   Viola
Richard George   Violin
Boguslav Kostecki   Violin
David Daniels   Celli
Nick Holland   Celli,Viola
Ash Howes   Keyboards
Emlyn Singleton   Violin
Jonathan Hill   Violin
Barnaby Dickinson   Trombone
Rolf Wilson   Violin
Reiad Chibah   Viola
Timothy Grant   Viola
Perry Montague-Mason   Violin
Iain James   Featured Artist
Simon Baggs   Violin
Kerenza Peacock   Violin
James Knight   Saxophone
Gabrielle Lester   Violin
Nerys Richards   Celli,Viola
Christopher Tombling   Violin
Jez Ashurst   Keyboards
Marianne Haynes   Violin
Zalika King   Vocals (Background)
Tom Piggott-Smith   Violin
Katie Holmes   Vocals (Background)
Adetoun Anibi   Vocals (Background)
Kelli-Leigh Henry-Davila   Vocals (Background)
Bianca Claxton   Vocals (Background)
Greg Walmsley   Celli,Viola
Peter Hason   Violin
Allen Whalley   Bass
Diva Singers   Choir/Chorus
Knight Time Horns   Brass
Tony Lewis   Celli
Peter Lale   Viola
Martin Loveday   Celli
Patrick Kiernan   Violin
Cliff Masterson   Piano,Choir Conductor,String Conductor
Rachel Bolt   Viola
Julian Leaper   Violin
Warren Zielinski   Violin
Laura Melhuish   Violin
Mark Berrow   Violin
Richard "Biff" Stannard   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Richard "Biff" Stannard   Vocal Producer,Mixing,Composer,Producer,Programming
Phil Spector   Composer
Felix Bernard   Composer
Walter Scott   Composer
Jeff Barry   Composer
Ash Howes   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Producer
Leona Lewis   Composer,Vocal Producer
Dick Smith   Composer
Mark Santangelo   Mastering
Jon Levine   Composer
Rolf Wilson   Leader
Autumn Rowe   Composer
Iain James   Composer
Franz Anton Schubert   Composer
Jez Ashurst   Composer,Programming
Tom Piggott-Smith   Leader
Roz Colls   String Contractor
Camille Purcell   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Lauren Christy   Composer
Cliff Masterson   Choir Arrangement,String Arrangements
Ellie Greenwich   Composer
Franz Gruber   Composer
Joseph Mohr   Composer
Matt Kemp   Vocal Engineer
Roy Wood   Composer
Bradford Ellis   Composer