''Holly & Ivy'' is a 1994 Christmas album and 16th overall studio album by American singer Natalie Cole. Released on October 4, 1994, by Elektra, it is Cole's first album featuring Christmas music and serves as a follow-up to '' Take a Look'' (1993). Cole co-produced the album with American music producer Tommy LiPuma, with whom she had worked on '' Unforgettable... with Love'' (1991). ''Holly & Ivy'' consists of 12 tracks, including 11 covers of Christmas standards and

carols A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling). T ...

and one original song written by

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the List of Billboard number-one ...

and Michael Masser. Cole promoted the album as non-traditional in interviews and live performances. Upon release, critics gave generally positive reviews for ''Holly & Ivy'', praising its composition and Cole's interpretations of the covered material. The album was certified gold by

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) on March 20, 1996, for 500,000 sales shipments; it peaked at number 36 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. ''Holly & Ivy'' spawned one single "No More Blue Christmas". In support of the album, Cole filmed a television special, "Natalie Cole's Untraditional Traditional Christmas", at

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

Performing Arts Center in

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; it premiered on WNET on December 7, 1994.

Background and recording

In an interview with Clarence Waldron from ''

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'', Natalie Cole said the idea of recording a Christmas album started from a telephone call from producer and longtime friend Michael Masser. Cole had previously worked with Masser on the song "Someone That I Used to Love" from her 1980 album '' Don't Look Back'' and her 1989 single " Miss You Like Crazy". Cole described the telephone call as unexpected; during their conversation, Masser told her: "I've got this beautiful Christmas song I wrote just for you." When they met, Messer played "No More Blue Christmas"; after the session, they both agreed to record a Christmas album; the songs were recorded and produced in April 1994. Cole expressed hope that the album would remind her fans about "the true spirit of the holiday season". She wanted it to communicate Christmas as "a time for families to reflect and not just wait until the holidays to be a family." Cole's sister Timolin Cole said: "Christmas Eve has always been a magical time with Natalie" when she could connect with family over holiday traditions. One of the primary inspirations for ''Holly & Ivy'' came from her father's album '' The Magic of Christmas'' (1960). Cole called it one of "the nicest, warmest Christmas albums that I've heard", and described the original version of the 1945 track "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" as "a darling sweet song" that has yet to be imitated by other original Christmas songs. In an interview with NPR, Cole said that: "it took 15 years into ercareer before hefelt comfortable and confident enough to even attempt at singing my father's music." ''Holly & Ivy'' includes three cover version of Nat King Cole's songs: "Caroling, Caroling", " The First Noel", and "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)". They were each recorded as a tribute to him. Waldron said the album was "keeping the holiday spirit in the family". Cole would later re-record "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" as a posthumous duet with her father on her 1999 Christmas album ''The Magic of Christmas''. The song also appears on Cole's 2008 Christmas album ('' Caroling, Caroling: Christmas with Natalie Cole'') and her 1995 collaborative Christmas

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

with

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

and

José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Spanish operatic tenor who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, he made his de ...

(''A Celebration of Christmas'').

Composition

''Holly & Ivy'' is a Christmas album influenced by R&B and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

elements. Cole said she choose to explore other genres, explaining: "she just likes to expand a little, every now and then." Staying true to her soulful roots, the singer described ''Holly & Ivy'' as a "non traditional album" and said, "Though we do 'Silent Night', 'Merry Christmas Baby', and a wonderful gospel version of 'Joy to the World', (featuring L.A.'s Friendly Baptist Church choir) we move around a lot". In its biography of Cole, ''

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'' identified the album and the following 1996 album '' Stardust'' as "continu ngCole's exploration of American pop standards". The album's opening track is "Jingle Bells", which is reinvented with a "jazzy, sassy" sound. The second and third tracks are covers of Nat King Cole's "Caroling, Caroling" and "The First Noel" respectively. The fourth song is "No More Blue Christmas'"; ''Billboard'' called the song "a soulful, torch-like burner". "Christmas Medley" contains excerpts from " Jingle Bell Rock", " Winter Wonderland", "

Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 19 ...

", and "

I'll Be Home for Christmas "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed ...

". A writer from ''Billboard'' picked out the "pure blues ' Merry Christmas Baby'" as a highlight of the album. Clarence Waldron described Cole's interpretation of the seventh track, " Joy to the World", as "tak nglisteners to church on her gospel flavored rendition", while a writer from ''Billboard'' called it "rollicking". The eighth and ninth tracks are covers of Vera Lynn's " The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot" and Ida Zecco's "A Song for Christmas" respectively. The tenth track is a cover of " Silent Night". "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" is the third and final cover of Nat King Cole on the album; David Browne of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' felt that the decision to cover "The Christmas Song" with no vocals from her father benefited the song, which he said worked better "alone, not as a duet with the dead". The album concludes with the title track "Holly and Ivy", which Waldron called a "touching Christmas

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

" and described Cole's vocal performance as belonging to "one of the sweetest songbirds".

Release and promotion

''Holly & Ivy'' was first released by Elektra and the

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

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and CD in the United States and Canada on October 25, 1994. It would later be made available as a digital download in both countries in 2010, sixteen years after its original release. Cole promoted the record by headlining a special edition of the

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...

(PBS) series '' Great Performances'', titled "Natalie Cole's Untraditional Traditional Christmas"'';'' the program was directed by Patricia Birch and was filmed at the

Performing Arts Center in

. Cole wore subdued clothing for her performances to match the album's "untraditional" quality. It featured special appearances by the New York Restoration Choir and ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

'' character Elmo. The show premiered on WNET on December 7, 1994, and was later released on a VHS home video cassette that was distributed by Warner Music Vision.

KCET-TV KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE-TV ...

aired the program along with two other Christmas specials, " Perry Como's Irish Christmas" and "A Christmas Special With

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

". It was Cole's first television special, Fearn-Banks (2006): p. 305 and served as the album's primary promotional medium. "No More Blue Christmas'" was released as the lead single from the album, with Cole promoting it through a performance on the special. The program received a lukewarm reception from critics. Chris Willman from the ''

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'' said the program's title was misleading because "it's hard to find anything the slightest bit untraditional about t. Willman commended the 1960s influence reminiscent of her father's Christmas songs and said the special was "a good-enough live video counterpart" to the album with an obvious inclusion of 'The Christmas Song'". John J. O'Conner of ''

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'' gave it a negative review, saying, "a couple of new songs are forgettable" and describing Cole's performance as "sweetly, and somewhat lifelessly", and the production as unable to leave a lasting impression on the viewers. O'Connor also said Cole's rendition of "The Christmas Song" was the highlight of the show and, "Ms. Cole once again dips in the repertory of her incomparable father". He compared the program to "Perry Como's Irish Christmas" and said both had "the same lulling level". Following Cole's death on December 31, 2015, PBS released a statement saying "we are grateful to have been able to capture ole'sextraordinary artistry for generations to come" through her ''Great Performances'' solo specials including her Christmas special.

Critical reception

Critical response to ''Holly & Ivy'' was primarily positive upon its release. Clarence Waldron referred to it as a "top favorite among music lovers this season". Describing the album as a "fine outing",

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Robert Taylor praised Cole's choice of holiday classics and lesser known songs such as "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot" and "No More Blue Christmas". David Browne of ''Entertainment Weekly'' commended the singer's ability to make "the usual yuletide tunes brassy and bustling", and highlighted her interpretation of 'Winter Wonderland' as sounding "like Christmas Eve at the Copa". He described Cole's voice as "warm and toasty" even when the material is lowered "from overly gushy arrangements". A ''Billboard'' review, edited by Paul Verna, Marilyn A. Gillen, and Peter Cronin, described the album as the "rarest of Christmas albums: an elegant set with appeal that could outlast the season". ''Holly & Ivy'' received some mixed reviews when compared to other Christmas albums. David Browne praised Cole's decision to stay away from traditionally Christmas images and sounds, instead "opt ngfor a simple black evening dress on the cover" in comparison to

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

's ''

Merry Christmas The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...

'', released in the same year. While giving the album three stars out of five, Robert Taylor criticized it for "not hav ngthe same 'classic' quality of her dad's 'The Christmas Album'".

Commercial performance

''Holly & Ivy'' peaked on the ''Billboard'' 200 at number 36 and on ''Billboard'' R&B Albums chart at number 20. It also reached at number 25 on ''Billboard''

Catalog Albums Top Pop Catalog Albums is a 50-position weekly albums chart produced by ''Billboard'' Magazine which ranks the best-selling catalog albums in the United States, regardless of genre. ''Billboard'' defines a catalog title as one that is more than 18 ...

chart on January 6, 1996. ''Holly & Ivy'' peaked on the U.S. Top Holiday Albums at number six, on February 27, 2013, roughly nineteen years after its release, becoming Cole's only Christmas album to appear on that chart. The album was certified gold by the

(RIAA), denoting shipments of 500,000 copies.

Track listing

*Writing and production credits for the songs are taken from the booklet of ''Holly & Ivy''.

Personnel

Musicians * Natalie Cole – vocals *

Terry Trotter Terry William Trotter (born October 5, 1940) is an American jazz pianist and piano teacher living in Los Angeles. He has recorded with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Larry Carlton, and many others. Tro ...

– acoustic piano (1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 12) * Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (4) * Alan Broadbent – acoustic piano (5) * Patrice Rushen –

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

(5, 7, 8),

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...

(7, 8),

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(7, 8) *

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and com ...

– acoustic piano (6) * Charles Floyd – acoustic piano (7, 8) * George Gaffney – acoustic piano (11) * John Chiodini – guitar (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12) *

Paul Jackson Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musi ...

– guitar (4) * Phil Upchurch – guitar (6), guitar solo (6) * Jim Hughart – bass (1, 2, 3, 5–12) *

Neil Stubenhaus Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist. Career He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. He studied at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in 1975. After graduation, he was rec ...

– bass (4, 5) * Harold Jones – drums (1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 11) *

Mike Baird Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Western Sydney, and the Leader of the New South W ...

– drums (4) * Jeff Hamilton – drums (5, 7, 8) * Larry Bunker – percussion (1, 5–9, 12), drums (10) * Brent Fischer – percussion (5, 10) Arrangements * John Clayton Jr. – arrangements (1, 6, 9) * Alan Broadbent – arrangements (2, 3, 8, 12), orchestral arrangements (7) * Robbie Buchanan – rhythm and synth arrangements (4) * Lee Holdridge – orchestral arrangements (4) * André Fischer – arrangements (5) * Jerry Peters – arrangements (5) * Natalie Cole – chorale arrangements (7) * Charles Floyd – chorale and rhythm arrangements (7) *

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorate ...

– arrangements (10) *

Johnny Mandel John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Benn ...

– arrangements (11) Children's choir on "Caroling, Caroling" * Hillary Bonine, Josh Breslow, Rachel Brook, Blake Ewing, Jessica Frank, Megan Joyce, Janine Kamwiine-Colquhoun, Alma Llra, Majorie Mejia, Arielle Ramos, Niki Rosenfield, Zan Tansey, Alberto Vazquez and Jason Yun * Richard P. Geere and Carole Keiser – choir directors Choir on "Joy to the World" * Catte Adams, Julie Delgado, Dorian Holley, Katrina Perkins, Sandy Simmons and Tony Warren Choir on "Silent Night" * Donna Davidson, Kevin Dorsey, Mary Hylan, Angie Jaree, Bob Joyce, David Joyce, Gary Jones, Gene Morford, Don Shelton, Sally Stevens, Terry Stilnell-Haraton and Jacke Ward-Smith Production * Natalie Cole – executive producer * Tommy LiPuma – executive producer, producer (1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12) * Michael Masser – producer (4) * André Fischer – producer (5, 7, 8, 10, 11) * Al Schmitt – recording, mixing * Les Cooper – additional recording * Bob Loftus – additional recording, assistant engineer * Dave Reitzas – additional recording * Jeffrey "Woody" Woodruff – additional recording * Noel Hazen – assistant engineer * John Hendrickson – assistant engineer * Richard Landers – assistant engineer * Mike Rider – assistant engineer * Al Sanders – assistant engineer *

Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charles ...

– mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California) * Deborah Silverman-Kern – production assistant (1-3, 6, 9, 12) * Patty Nichols – production coordinator (5, 7, 8, 10, 11) * Shari Sutcliffe – project coordinator * Keith Petrie – personal assistant to Natalie Cole and André Fischer * Gabrielle Raumberger – art direction * Frank Chi – design * Dylan Tran – design * Khrystal Jade Hopper – illustration * Firooz Zahedi – photography * Cecille Parker – wardrobe stylist * Tara Posey – make-up * Janet Zeitoun – hair stylist * Dan Cleary – management

Charts

Certifications

Release history

The follow release history was adapted from

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and AllMusic.

References

Citations

Book sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holly and Ivy 1994 Christmas albums Albums produced by Michael Masser Albums produced by Tommy LiPuma Christmas albums by American artists Elektra Records albums Gospel Christmas albums Natalie Cole albums Rhythm and blues albums by American artists Warner Music Group albums