''One Voice at Christmas'' is a 2016 Christmas album by the Welsh singer
Aled Jones and produced by
Classic FM. It was created as a follow-up to Jones' ''
One Voice'' album released earlier in the year and followed a similar style with Jones duetting on
Christmas carols and songs with his younger self.
It reached a peak of 22 in the official
UK Album Charts and number 1 in the
UK Classical Chart.
Background
In April 2016, Jones released ''One Voice'' involving duets with himself recorded when he was a
boy soprano. The album was a critical success and reached a peak of 3 in the
UK Albums Chart. Jones planned a follow-up album which he planned to release in time for Christmas. The album ''One Voice at Christmas'' was revealed on a
Flybe
Flybe (pronounced ), styled as flybe, is a British airline based at Birmingham Airport, England.
History
The airline traces its history back to Jersey European Airways, which was set up in 1979 following the merger of Intra Airways and Expres ...
flight from
London City Airport to
Cardiff Airport
Cardiff Airport ( cy, Maes Awyr Caerdydd) is the only airport offering commercial passenger services in Wales. It has been under the ownership of the Welsh Government since March 2013, operating at an arm's length as a commercial business. Pa ...
by Jones singing "
Walking in the Air" (which had made his fame due to associations with "''
The Snowman''") on the plane.
Album
The album consists of Jones performing duets of Christmas carols and other Christmas songs with his younger self. However, he also duets with other people compared with the original ''One Voice''. Jones duets with
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
on "
Silent Night", and
Libera on "
O Holy Night", "
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (also known as Apple Tree and, in its early publications, as Christ Compared to an Apple-tree) is a poem, possibly intended for use as a carol, written in the 18th century. It has been set to music by a number of comp ...
" and "
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 ...
".
"
Little Drummer Boy", his 2008 duet with
Sir Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...
is included as a bonus track.
The album was recorded in
California,
United States, due to the producer living in
New Zealand. Jones stated that it felt odd recording "
In the Bleak Midwinter
"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti, commonly performed as a Christmas carol. The poem was published, under the title "A Christmas Carol", in the January 1872 issue of ''Scribner's Monthly,'' and was first c ...
" in August in a hot climate.
When it was released on 25 November 2016
it went straight to number 1 in the UK Classical Chart
and remained there for the rest of December, becoming the UK Classical Chart Christmas number 1.
In the UK Album Charts, it fared less well by entering at 30 and retaining that spot for the next week before rising to 24 and 22 the following weeks over Christmas but then dropped out after five weeks in the chart.
Track listing
''One Voice at Christmas'' contains the following tracks:
# "
Walking in the Air"
# "
O Holy Night"
# "
In the Bleak Midwinter
"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti, commonly performed as a Christmas carol. The poem was published, under the title "A Christmas Carol", in the January 1872 issue of ''Scribner's Monthly,'' and was first c ...
"
# "
Silent Night"
# "
O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
# "
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
# "
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (also known as Apple Tree and, in its early publications, as Christ Compared to an Apple-tree) is a poem, possibly intended for use as a carol, written in the 18th century. It has been set to music by a number of comp ...
"
# "
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 ...
"
# "The Little Road to Bethlehem"
# "
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"
# "Hwiangerdd Mair (Mary's Lullaby)"
# "Come unto Him"
# "
Little Drummer Boy"
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
2016 Christmas albums
Christmas albums by Welsh artists
Aled Jones albums