The Season for Miracles

The Season for Miracles
The group and their families seated around a Christmas tree
Studio album by
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
ReleasedNovember 23, 1970 (1970-11-23)
GenreSoul, Christmas
Length37:41
LanguageEnglish
LabelTamla
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles chronology
A Pocket Full of Miracles
(1970) 		The Season for Miracles
(1970) 		One Dozen Roses
(1971)

The Season for Miracles is a 1970 studio album by the American soul group Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. The Christmas album has received positive reviews and has been a strong seller for Motown, being reissued on compact disc in 1992.[1]

Reception

Critical reception

A brief review in Billboard recommended this release as being a "joyous" and "delightful holiday package".[2] The editors of AllMusic Guide scored this album three out of five stars, but do not have a detailed review.[3] The publication does review the 1973 various artists compilation A Motown Christmas, which includes tracks from this album and critic Jason Ankeny calls that an "outstanding sampler" of music that includes a "beautifully soulful vibe".[4] In 2011's The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, this album received three out of five stars.[5]

Sales

Although this release did not sell well enough to chart,[6] a 1987 review of the best-selling Christmas albums by Ebony notes that this is one of the best-selling from Motown.[7]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Deck the Halls"/"Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella" (traditional) – 4:03
  2. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (traditional) – 3:06
  3. "I Can Tell When Christmas Is Near" (Stevie Wonder) – 3:02
  4. "I Believe in Christmas Eve" (Smokey Robinson) – 2:03
  5. "The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé and Robert Wells) – 3:27
  6. "Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) – 2:47

Side two

  1. "It's Christmas Time" (Wonder) – 3:27
  2. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (John Wesley Work Jr. and traditional) – 3:45
  3. "Away in a Manger"/"Coventry Carol" (William James Kirkpatrick / traditional) – 2:23
  4. "Peace on Earth (Good Will Toward Men)" (A. Roach) – 3:03
  5. "The Day That Love Began" (Deborah Miller and Ron Miller) – 3:53
  6. "A Child Is Waiting" (Joe Hinton and Patti Jerome) – 2:42

Personnel

The Miracles

Additional personnel

  • Jim Hendin – photography
  • Wade Marcus – arrangement on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
  • Curtis McNair – artwork, design
  • Jimmy Roach – arrangement on "Deck the Halls"/"Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella", "Go Tell It on the Mountain", "Away in a Manger"/"Coventry Carol", and "Peace on Earth (Good Will Toward Men)"
  • Tom Schlesinger – graphic supervision
  • David Van De Pitte – arrangement

References

  1. ^ McAdams, Janice (July 11, 1992). "Dynamic Diva: Buzz Builds On Mary Blige". The Rhythm and the Blues. Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 51. p. 17. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. ^ "Billboard Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 51. December 19, 1970. p. 50. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. ^ "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – Season for Miracles review". AllMusic Guide.
  4. ^ Ankney, Jason. "Various Artists – A Motown Christmas review". AllMusic Guide.
  5. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
  6. ^ White, Adam (December 18, 1982). "Motown's Curious Yule Offering". Black. Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 50. p. 54. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ "Sound Off: The Best in Recorded Music". Ebony. Vol. 43, no. 2. December 1987. p. 18B. ISSN 0012-9011.