''Wilde Winter Songbook'' is the thirteenth studio album and first
Christmas album by English singer
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award f ...
, released on 11 November 2013 by Wildeflower Records. The album consists of a mix of traditional Christmas songs, covers of contemporary seasonal songs and original music.
Background
''Wilde Winter Songbook'' consists of four Christmas classics, two covers of newer winter-related songs (both from 2008) and six new compositions. The album features duets with
Nik Kershaw,
Rick Astley, her husband Hal Fowler and her father
Marty Wilde.
The four Christmas classics on this album are "
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "
Let It Snow", "
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "
Winter Wonderland", whereas the cover versions are "
Winter Song", originally by
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...
and
Ingrid Michaelson
Ingrid Ellen Michaelson (born December 8, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Her first album, '' Slow the Rain,'' was released in 2005, and she has since released eight more albums: '' Girls and Boys,'' '' Be OK'', '' Everybody' ...
(2008) and "
White Winter Hymnal
"White Winter Hymnal" is the first single from Fleet Foxes' debut 2008 self-titled album. Released by European label Bella Union on July 21, 2008, the single was issued on 7" vinyl as well as digital MP3 format. The B-side is the non-album track ...
" by
Fleet Foxes (2008).
Kim Wilde's daughter, Rose Fowler, sings backing vocals on the song "Hope".
Wilde intended to include the song "Deck The Halls (Angels Sing)" on the album as well, but did not want to have 13 tracks on a Christmas album. The song was eventually released on the deluxe edition of ''Wilde Winter Songbook'' in 2015. All of the additional bonus tracks for the deluxe edition were also made available via iTunes on a separate ''Deluxe EP''.
Promotion
Two videos, of the songs "White Winter Hymnal" and "New Life", were created and uploaded to
YouTube, showing Wilde and her brother and musicians in a recording studio. She also appeared on ''
The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'' on
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
on 8 November 2013, where she performed "White Winter Hymnal" among other songs.
Two more videos, for the original composition "Hope" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", were released in the following weeks, the latter poking fun at her infamous drunken train ride home the year before. In December 2012 Wilde was videotaped with mobile phones singing her hits "Kids in America" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" on the tube carriage while wearing "reindeer antlers after leaving a boozy festive party". The video went viral on YouTube receiving more than two million views. The promotion video re-enacts this scene showing Wilde on a train singing exactly the same song.
Before the end of December there was published a video for all 12 tracks on the album.
In December she gave interviews for BBC Breakfast, where she performed "Let It Snow" on ''This Morning'' and performed "Winter Wonderland" on German television together with
Rick Astley.
Tour
Four concerts took place for the Kim Wilde's Christmas Party tour in December 2013, including Saasveld (Netherlands), Bristol (UK), Birmingham (UK) and London (UK).
Track listing
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2013 Christmas albums
Christmas albums by English artists
Kim Wilde albums
Pop Christmas albums