It Must Be Christmas
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It Must Be Christmas is the sixth studio album and first Christmas album by American country music artist Chris Young. It was released on October 14, 2016, by RCA Records Nashville.[1] Young co-wrote two of the album's ten tracks.
Reception
Critical
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three stars out of five. "[It] does everything a modern mainstream holiday album should do," writes Erlewine, "it plays upon memories of Christmas while appealing to the moment at hand." He added that the original songs "feel like radio tunes" rather than seasonal material.[1] Chuck Dauphin of country music blog Sounds Like Nashville wrote a positive review in which he praised Young's "classic approach" to the holiday fare. "Whether it be a "New" classic or an evergreen one," he writes, "Young hits all the right notes on the album."[2]
Commercial
Upon release, It Must Be Christmas debuted in the top five of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart at number four and also topped the Holiday Albums chart. The album has sold 15,300 copies in the US as of November 2016.[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Christmas Song" | Mel Tormé, Robert Wells | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" | Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector | 2:42 |
| 3. | "Under the Weather" | Chris Young, Corey Crowder, Josh Hoge | 3:06 |
| 4. | "There's a New Kid in Town" (featuring Alan Jackson) | Don Cook, Curly Putman, Keith Whitley | 4:09 |
| 5. | "Holly Jolly Christmas" | Johnny Marks | 2:18 |
| 6. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin | 3:25 |
| 7. | "The First Noel" (featuring Brad Paisley) | Davies Gilbert, William Sandys | 3:35 |
| 8. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Silent Night" (featuring Boyz II Men) | Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr | 4:03 |
| 10. | "It Must Be Christmas" | Young, Johnny Bulford, Will Doughty | 3:31 |
| Total length: | 34:00 | ||
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Country Albums (OCC)[4] | 7 |
| US Billboard 200[5] | 64 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[6] | 4 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[7] | 1 |
References
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (October 14, 2016). "It Must Be Christmas - Chris Young". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ Dauphin, Chris (October 17, 2016). "Album Review: Chris Young's 'It Must Be Christmas'". Sounds Like Nashville. SpinMedia. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 6, 2016). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: November 7, 2016". Roughstock.
- ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.