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Holiday records were a staple of the Motown, Atlantic, and Stax release schedules during the golden age of soul music, but in the 1980s few R&B acts picked up the baton. Although it hasn't dated particularly well, My Gift to You nevertheless remains an admirable and energetic attempt to revive the Christmas album concept for a new generation, pairing Alexander O'Neal with the hitmaking production duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to create a lushly romantic set considerably more thoughtful and heartfelt than your average yuletide cash-in. Half of the album's ten songs are Jam/Lewis originals, and even if none of them emerged as contemporary standards, they do a good job of capturing both the secular ("Our First Christmas") and spiritual ("Remember Why It's Christmas") dimensions of the season. O'Neal also delivers shopworn material like "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Winter Wonderland" with conviction, saving his most potent performance for the Donny Hathaway classic "This Christmas." There's no getting around the trademark Jam/Lewis production, though. My Gift to You is plainly a product of its era, complete with thick synthesizers and programmed rhythms, and is best enjoyed by listeners still hoping Santa brings them acid-washed jeans and Members Only jackets regardless of the year in question.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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Steve Hodge, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIMMY JAM, Producer - TERRY LEWIS, Producer, ComposerLyricist - JAMES HARRIS, ComposerLyricist - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Hodge, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIMMY JAM, Producer - TERRY LEWIS, Producer, ComposerLyricist - JAMES HARRIS, ComposerLyricist - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Hodge, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIMMY JAM, Producer - TERRY LEWIS, Producer, ComposerLyricist - JAMES HARRIS, ComposerLyricist - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Hodge, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIMMY JAM, Producer - TERRY LEWIS, Producer, ComposerLyricist - JAMES HARRIS, ComposerLyricist - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ken Kessie, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Henry V. Onorati, ComposerLyricist - JIMMY JAM, Producer, Associate Producer - TERRY LEWIS, Producer, Associate Producer - HARRY SIMEONE, ComposerLyricist - Denzil Delano Foster, Producer - Thomas Derrick McElroy, Producer - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist - Katherine Kennicott Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Hodge, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Mel TORME, Composer - Robert Wells, Author - Lee Blaskey, Conductor, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Hodge, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Lee Blaskey, Conductor, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist - Jerry Marsh, ComposerLyricist - Robert Marsh, ComposerLyricist - Charles Fotson III Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Hodge, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Felix Bernard, ComposerLyricist - Richard B. Smith, ComposerLyricist - Müller Péter Sziámi, Translator - Lee Blaskey, Conductor, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Hodge, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIMMY JAM, Producer - TERRY LEWIS, Producer, ComposerLyricist - JAMES HARRIS, ComposerLyricist - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Hodge, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIMMY JAM, Producer - TERRY LEWIS, Producer, ComposerLyricist - JAMES HARRIS, ComposerLyricist - Alexander O'Neal, MainArtist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Holiday records were a staple of the Motown, Atlantic, and Stax release schedules during the golden age of soul music, but in the 1980s few R&B acts picked up the baton. Although it hasn't dated particularly well, My Gift to You nevertheless remains an admirable and energetic attempt to revive the Christmas album concept for a new generation, pairing Alexander O'Neal with the hitmaking production duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to create a lushly romantic set considerably more thoughtful and heartfelt than your average yuletide cash-in. Half of the album's ten songs are Jam/Lewis originals, and even if none of them emerged as contemporary standards, they do a good job of capturing both the secular ("Our First Christmas") and spiritual ("Remember Why It's Christmas") dimensions of the season. O'Neal also delivers shopworn material like "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Winter Wonderland" with conviction, saving his most potent performance for the Donny Hathaway classic "This Christmas." There's no getting around the trademark Jam/Lewis production, though. My Gift to You is plainly a product of its era, complete with thick synthesizers and programmed rhythms, and is best enjoyed by listeners still hoping Santa brings them acid-washed jeans and Members Only jackets regardless of the year in question.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:42:23
- Main artists: Alexander O'Neal
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Clarence Avant Catalog
- Genre: Ambient/New Age Christmas Music
© 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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