''The Magic of Christmas'' is a collaborative

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 American recording artist

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

and

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, released on September 21, 1999, by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

. The album is a follow-up to ''

Snowfall on the Sahara ''Snowfall on the Sahara'' is a studio album by American singer Natalie Cole. It was released by Elektra Records on June 22, 1999 in the United States. Critical reception AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that "with ''Snowfall on t ...

''. It reached peak positions of number 157 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number 84 on ''

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 advertise ...

''s

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart. A number of the tracks on ''The Magic of Christmas'' were first released on the 1998 album ''Christmas With You'', which was produced exclusively for

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...

Critical reception

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 Heather Phares awarded the album 2.5 out of 5 stars and described the collection of songs as "traditional yet sophisticated". She also highlighted "O Tannenbaum", "The 12 Days of Christmas", and "The Christmas Song".

Track listing

All tracks producer by Fred Salem.Cole, Natalie. “The Magic of Christmas” (Album Notes). Elektra Records. 1999. ;Note *"The Christmas Song" uses samples from a recording of "The Christmas Song", as performed by

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

Personnel

Adapted from album booklet. *

– vocals *

– orchestra (strings, horns, woodwinds, percussion) *

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 ...

– grand piano * Christopher Argent –

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

(1-4, 7) * Bob Krogstad – musical arrangements (1, 2, 3, 5-8, 10), orchestra conductor *

Robert MacGimsey Robert Hunter MacGimsey (1898 – 1979) was an American composer. His most famous song was "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" (1934), a well-known Christmas carol written in the style of an African-American spiritual. Early years Born Robert Hunter MacGim ...

– musical arrangements (4) *

Peter Wilhousky Peter J. Wilhousky ( uk, Пітер (Петро) Вільговський; 13 July 1902 – 4 January 1978) was an American composer, music educator, and choral conductor of Rusyn descent. During his childhood he was part of New York's Russian Cat ...

– musical arrangements (9) *

– vocals (1)

Production

* Fred Salem – producer * Dick Carter – executive producer * Toby Foster – recording, engineer, mixing *

Al Schmitt Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...

– mixing *

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) * Alli Truch – art direction, design * David Jensen – photography * Cecille Parker – stylist * Tara Posey – make-up * Janet Zeitoun – hair stylist

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magic of Christmas 1999 Christmas albums 1999 collaborative albums Christmas albums by American artists Elektra Records albums Natalie Cole albums