Christmas with Brandy is the eighth studio album by American singer Brandy Norwood. It was released on November 10, 2023, through her own label Brand Nu, Inc. and Motown. A follow-up to her 2020 album B7, it marked her first Christmas album as well as her debut release with Motown. Chiefly produced by Theron "Neff-U" Feemster," with additional production from DJ Camper, Kyle Mann, and Nasri Atweh and Adam Messinger from The Messengers, Christmas with Brandy consists of twelve tracks, featuring six original songs co-penned by Norwood and six cover versions of Christmas standards songs.
| Christmas with Brandy | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 10, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2023[1] | |||
| Length | 35:07 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Brandy chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Christmas with Brandy | ||||
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The album earned largely positive reviews from music critics who called it a delightful edition to modern Christmas music. Upon its release, Christmas with Brandy debuted at number 29 on the Billboard US Top Holiday Albums and reached number 50 on Billboard's Current Album Sales chart. Its release date coincided with the release of the Netflix Christmas comedy film Best. Christmas. Ever!, which Norwood had filmed alongside Heather Graham, Jason Biggs, and Matt Cedeño. The album was preceded by R&B ballad "Christmas Party for Two," the album's lead single, released on November 3, 2023.
Background and release
editIn March 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported that Norwood had signed on to star opposite Heather Graham, Jason Biggs, and Matt Cedeño in the Netflix film Best. Christmas. Ever!.[2] Co-written by Charles Shyer and directed by Mary Lambert, the Christmas comedy deals with two frenemies stuck together for Christmas.[2] In June 2022, Norwood signed with Motown Records.[3] The partnership marked her first major label deal in over a decade.[3] In September 2023, Motown A&R executive Jaha Johnson revealed that Norwood was working on a Christmas album whose release date would coincide with the release of Best. Christmas. Ever!.[4] On October 20, 2023, Norwood announced that the album would be released on November 10, 2023, writing: "I feel so blessed to be able to create an album surrounding joy, Family, love and quality divine time with the ones you love."[5]
In an interview with Variety, Norwood stated that even though Christmas with Brandy is the artist's eighth studio album, "[t]his isn’t the B8 album, no [...] this is just my contribution to Christmas and how much Christmas means to me and that’s all it is [...] I’m not going to stop doing music, but I would love to get into some new records in the future. But I just want to really get this out here and see how people feel about this record first."[1] First called A Brandy Christmas, the album was renamed late into the production, with Norwood commenting: "Different people on your team have opinions and you try to make sure everybody's opinion gets in there. We had a toss-up between A Brandy Christmas and Christmas with Brandy. I like Christmas with Brandy. It has a ring to it."[6]
Singles
editChristmas with Brandy's first single "Christmas Party for Two" was released on November 3, 2023,[7][8] along with a snippet of Norwood's rendition of the Stevie Wonder classic "Someday at Christmas."[9][10] A lyric video for "Christmas Party for Two" was released the same day,[11] followed by a lyric video for "Christmas Everyday," issued on November 17, 2023.[12] A black-and-white music video for "Christmas Party for Two," directed by William Sikora, was released on December 5, 2023.[13]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Columbia Daily Tribune |   [14] |
| Cryptic Rock | [15] |
Antwane Folk, reviewing for Rated R&B, praised the album as "a delightful change of pace that provides comfort and joy during the holiday season now and for several years to come." He found that Norwood's "assured imagination and warm vocals take center stage to reveal a deeper musical personality."[16] Columbia Daily Tribune critic Aarik Danielsen found that "on the first holiday record of her 30-year career, Brandy leans into the string- and keyboard-driven R&B she has practically perfected. Nimbly mingling heartbroken holiday-set ballads and standards, Brandy offers that rarest of Christmas-music gifts — an album that sounds exactly like an artist being themselves."[14] Cryptic Rock called that Christmas with Brandy "a delightful edition to modern Christmas music" and described it as "a rather smooth R&B Christmas tingling collection [...] done with passion, love, and a sincere sense of Christmas spirit." The website's editorial staff noted that "it would not be out of place to spin some of these original songs before or after the Christmas season either."[15]
Soul Bounce's Suzy Sonshyn remarked that "our wish has finally been fulfilled with Christmas with Brandy, which is an R&B gift that will keep on giving." She felt that "while Brandy’s new entries to the catalog of Christmas music are top-notch, we are also smitten with her spin on some of our favorite carols and classics [that] listeners will be drawn to."[17] Associated Press editor Maria Sherman ranked the album among the best holiday released of 2023 and wrote: "For those looking for a seductive holiday album: the search is over. R&B great Brandy has released Christmas with Brandy, a collection of sultry – and in other moments, soulful – imaginations of Christmas classics and originals."[18] Riff magazine's Sery Morales felt that the album "showcases Brandy’s signature style of warm soulful vocals, as well as a willingness to experiment" and "successfully infuses her soulful singing into both original and classic holiday tracks."[19] Jim Harrington, writing for Mercury News, called Christmas with Brandy a "worthwhile experience for fans of smooth R&B/pop. It’s a nice enough collection of holiday tunes, ranging from a somewhat forgettable lead single [...] to enjoyable covers."[20] Similarly, Gazette critic Alan Sculley noted that "the original material (including the sexy, silky ballad "Christmas Party for Two" and the bouncy "Christmas Gift") makes Christmas with Brandy an album worth noticing."[21]
Commercial performance
editChristmas with Brandy debuted at number 29 on the US Top Holiday Albums in the week dated November 25, 2023.[22] It also reached number 50 on Billboard's Current Album Sales chart.[23]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feels Different" |
|
| 2:56 |
| 2. | "Somebody’s Waiting" |
| 3:01 | |
| 3. | "Christmas Party for Two" |
| 3:54 | |
| 4. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" |
| 3:32 | |
| 5. | "Santa Baby" |
| 3:31 | |
| 6. | "Christmas Gift" (featuring Sy'rai) |
|
| 4:12 |
| 7. | "Shine Out Your Light" |
| 2:37 | |
| 8. | "The Christmas Song" | 3:10 | ||
| 9. | "Someday at Christmas" |
| 2:56 | |
| 10. | "Jingle Bells" | James Lord Pierpont | 2:50 | |
| 11. | "Deck the Halls" |
| 2:28 | |
| Total length: | 35:07 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Christmas Everyday" |
|
| 3:26 |
| Total length: | 38:33 | |||
Notes
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[23] | 50 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[22] | 29 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | November 10, 2023 | [25][26][24][27][28][29] |
References
edit- ^ a b Horowitz, Steven J. (November 9, 2023). "Brandy's Back, and She Wants You to Listen to Her New Christmas Album All Year Round". Variety. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (March 22, 2022). "'Best. Christmas. Ever.': Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood, Jason Biggs & Matt Cedeño To Star In Netflix Holiday Film From 'Pet Sematary's Mary Lambert". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Mamo, Heran (June 24, 2022). "Brandy Partners With Motown Records Ahead of Eighth Album". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ Samuels, Keithan (September 14, 2023). "Brandy Readies Christmas Album". Rated R&B. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ @brandy (October 20, 2023). "For all my beautiful fans, my new album 'Christmas With Brandy' comes out November 10". Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via Instagram.
- ^ Baker, Josh (November 10, 2023). "It's Brandy Season With Her First Christmas Album". Ebony. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ Major, Michael (November 3, 2023). "Brandy Releases Romantic New Single 'Christmas Party for Two'". Broadway World. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ Folk, Antwane (November 3, 2023). "Brandy Snuggles With Santa on New Song 'Christmas Party for Two'". Rated R&B. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ "Christmas Party For Two will be yours next Friday, 11/3. Pre-order Christmas With Brandy". Twitter. October 27, 2023. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ "Someday At Christmas". Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Brandy – Christmas Party for Two (Lyric Video)". YouTube. November 3, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "Brandy – Christmas Everyday (Lyric Video)". YouTube. November 17, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "Christmas Party for Two -Tomorrow 🎥". Twitter. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Danielsen, Aarik. "Get Christmas cozy with new holiday records from Brandy, Cher, Creed guitarist and more". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Danielsen, Aarik (November 24, 2023). "Brandy – Christmas with Brandy (Album Review)". Cryptic Rock. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ Folk, Antwane (November 10, 2023). "Brandy Brings Comfort and Joy on 'Christmas With Brandy': Album Review". Rated R&B. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Sonshyn, Suzy (November 11, 2023). "Brandy Delivers An R&B Gift On 'Christmas With Brandy'". Soul Bounce. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ Sherman, Maria (November 21, 2023). "Fill your holiday stocking with Cher, Ella Fitzgerald, Brandy, Andrea Bocelli and more". Associated Press. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ Morales, Sery (November 10, 2023). "ALBUM REVIEW: Brandy melts the snow on 'Christmas with Brandy'". riffmagazine.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Harrington, Jim (November 21, 2023). "Christmas 2023: Here are 12 new holiday albums to enjoy this season". Mercury News. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via Detroit News.
- ^ Sculley, Alan (December 2, 2023). "Spin on 2023 holiday albums". Gazette. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "Brandy Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Brandy Chart History (Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Christmas with Brandy (Digital album) by Brandy". 4everbrandy.com (Official website). Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Christmas with Brandy (CD) by Brandy". 4everbrandy.com (Official website). Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Christmas with Brandy (Vinyl) by Brandy". 4everbrandy.com (Official website). Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Christmas with Brandy by Brandy". Apple Music. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ Peacock, Tim (October 20, 2023). "Brandy Announces First Ever Holiday Album 'Christmas With Brandy'". U Discover Music. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ Folk, Antwane (October 20, 2023). "Brandy Announces Holiday Album 'Christmas With Brandy'". Rated RnB. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.