"Christmas Wish" is the fourth

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

and 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 or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

by Australian country singer

Gina Jeffreys Gina Jeffreys (also known as Gina Jeffries, Gina Hillenberg and Gina McCormack born 1 April 1968) is an Australian country music, country singer-songwriter and radio presenter. Career In 1991, Jeffreys competed in The Toyota Star Maker Quest at ...

. The album contained four original tracks and nine Christmas classics. The lead single was "There's No Gift", which Jeffreys and McCormack co-wrote with American singer

Jason Sellers Jason Sellers (born March 4, 1971) is an American country music artist. After several years of touring the United States in his family's band, Sellers joined the road band of Ricky Skaggs. By 1997, he was signed to a recording contract with BNA Re ...

. The album includes a duet with Australian jazz musician James Morrison and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

vocal ensemble

The Idea of North The Idea of North are an Australian a cappella vocal ensemble founded in Canberra in 1993, by Nick Begbie (tenor), Meg Corson (alto), Trish Delaney-Brown (soprano) and Andrew Piper ( bass). In March 2002 Corson was replaced as alto by Naomi Cr ...

Background, recording and promotion

"We recorded most of the album in July at our house, so our neighbours probably think that we're crazy," Jeffreys laughs. "But I just love Christmas time - the decorations, the music and everything that goes with it. Rod and I usually get the guitar out on Christmas Day and sing Christmas songs for our families ndwe thought it would be a good idea to record some of those songs." Jeffreys promoted the album in Australia throughout November and December before she flew to

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

to perform for

Interfet The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...

troops. She was joined in

Dili Dili (Portuguese/Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in ...

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

John Farnham John Peter Farnham Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a Teen idol, teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an Adu ...

The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...

Doc Neeson Bernard Patrick "Doc" Neeson OAM (4 January 1947 – 4 June 2014) was an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was the front man for the hard rock band The Angels from its formation in February 1976 through to 1999. The band then split ...

and James Blundell. "When I planned my Christmas shows, I never dreamed that my last show would be in Dili," Jeffreys says, "I'm delighted to be doing the concert and to be part of the team bringing the soldiers a little bit of Australia, and to let them know that they are in our thoughts." Jeffreys continues to promote the album and performs songs from it frequently. In 2013, a video for "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was uploaded onto YouTube.

Track listing

; CD/ Cassette (7243 522107 25) # "

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. In ...

" (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane) - (4:11) # "Christmas Wish" (

Rod McCormack Rod McCormack (born 13 February 1963) is an Australian record producer, musician and songwriter. McCormack is responsible for many high selling and award-winning albums and was named Country Music Awards of Australia Producer of the year in 20 ...

/ Gina Jeffreys, Jerry Salley) - (3:26) # "

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song featuring Santa Claus written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. The earliest known recorded version of the song was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934. It was then ...

" (Coots, Gillespie) - (2:15) # "There's No Gift" (with

) (Rod McCormack, Gina Jeffreys, Jason Sellers) - (4:04) # "All Wrapped Up in You" (Rod McCormack, Gina Jeffreys, Jerry Salley) - (2:59) # " Silver Bells" (Livingstone, Evans) - (3:19) # "

Jingle Bell Rock "Jingle Bell Rock" is an American Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. Since its release, it has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas season since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Ca ...

" (Beal, Boothe) - (2:33) # "Heaven Kissed Earth" (Jerry Salley, Aaron Williams) - (3:52) # " Blue Christmas" (with James Morrison and

(Jay Johnson, Billy Hayes) - (2:39) # "

Away in a Manger "Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although i ...

" (Traditional) - (2:39) # "

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

" (Traditional) - (2:32) # "

Here Comes Santa Claus "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" is a popular Christmas song written and originally performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Oakley Haldeman. Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Claus as "Santy ...

" (Autry, Haldeman) - (1:46) # "

Mary's Boy Child "Mary's Boy Child", also known as "Mary's Little Boy Child", is a 1956 Christmas song, written by Jester Hairston. It is widely performed as a Christmas carol. History The song had its genesis when Hairston was sharing a room with a friend. The ...

" (Hairston) - (4:51)

Charts

Personnel

Adapted from album liner. * Producer - Rod McCormack * Engineer - Jeff McCormack (at The Music Cellar) * Strings and harp arranged by and conducted by -

Larry Muhoberac Lawrence Gordon "Larry" Muhoberac, Jr.; (February 12, 1937 - December 4, 2016, in Erina, New South Wales, Australia) was an American musician, record producer, and composer who was also known under pseudonyms "Larry Owens" and "Larry Gordon". C ...

* Recorded at Tiger Studios * Mastered at

Studios 301 Studios 301 is an Australian recording studio and is both the longest-running professional recording studio in the southern hemisphere and the largest studio complex in Australia. History The studio was founded in 1926 under the Columbia Gra ...

Musicians * Rod McCormack - Guitars, Mandolin, Dobro, Banjo, Percussion, Backing Vocals * Jeff McCormack - Bass * Mitchell Farmer - Drums * Larry Muhoberac - Piano & Keyboard * Mick Albeck - Fiddle * Michel Rose - Pedal Steel * Christian Marsh - Chromatic Harmonica * Stuart French - Electric Guitar * Chrissy Moy - Backing Vocals * James Gillard - Backing Vocals

References

{{Gina Jeffreys 1999 Christmas albums Gina Jeffreys albums Albums produced by Rod McCormack Christmas albums by Australian artists Country Christmas albums