Christmas (Cher album)

Christmas
A computer graphic of Cher surrounded by large Christmas tree ornaments
Standard album cover
Studio album by
Cher
ReleasedOctober 20, 2023 (2023-10-20)
RecordedMid-2023
Length39:48
LabelWarner
Producer
Cher chronology
Dancing Queen
(2018) 		Christmas
(2023) 		Forever
(2024)
Singles from Christmas
  1. "DJ Play a Christmas Song"
    Released: October 6, 2023

Christmas is the twenty-seventh studio album by American singer Cher. It was released on October 20, 2023, through Warner Records. It is her first album featuring original material in ten years, following Closer to the Truth (2013). It was also her first Christmas album.

Background

Cher first announced a plan to record a Christmas album in 2018.[1] However, no progress was made at this time, and she did not comment again on this album until hinting at its production in July 2023, when she announced that she was already working on material for it.[2] On Twitter, she shared that she never wanted to do a festive album but it came out "as good as any record" she has made.[3] In an interview with Good Morning Britain in September, Cher expressed her pride over the record, saying that it is "a Cher Christmas album. It's not your mother's Christmas album".[4] On September 7, Cher unveiled the album's artwork, accompanied by a caption asking the reader if they wanted to share Christmas with her. The cover depicts a simple shot of the singer surrounded by Christmas ornaments.[5] She is seen wearing a white shirt and bedazzled blue jeans.[6] Target exclusive versions of the album consists of 4 different colored versions of Cher's name.[7] An alternative cover with Cher in pink version of her outfit on the standard album and kicking a splash of water was released exclusively to Cher's official store,[8] while Amazon versions had another exclusive alternative cover with Cher in a silver bejeweled dress surrounded by water and icebergs.[9]

The project features guest appearances by Darlene Love, Michael Bublé, Tyga, Cyndi Lauper, and Stevie Wonder.[10] Cher shared her excitement over the fact that there are "millions of people" on it and that she never released an album with duets.[3] According to her, the decision to include guest artists was "last-minute".[11]

Four songs from the album are original works: "DJ Play a Christmas Song", "Angels in the Snow", "Drop Top Sleigh Ride, and "Christmas Ain't Christmas Without You".[12]

Singles

On October 6, 2023, Cher released "DJ Play a Christmas Song" as the lead single from the album.[13] "DJ Play a Christmas Song" debuted at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated December 30, 2023, becoming Cher's first entry on the Hot 100 since "Song for the Lonely" in May 2002.[14] On the week ending October 21, 2023, the song entered the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart at number three, reaching the number one position six weeks later (on the week-ending December 2, 2023).[15] On the week ending November 18, 2023, the song entered the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at number 22, attaining the number one position three weeks later (on the week-ending December 9, 2023).[16] In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.[17]

In Canada, the album tracks "DJ Play a Christmas Song", "What Christmas Means to Me" with Stevie Wonder, "Run Rudolph Run", and "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" with Darlene Love gained airplay, charting on the Canadian AC chart, peaking at numbers nine, four, twenty-one, and twenty-five respectively.[18] "DJ Play a Christmas Song" reached number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100.[19]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
BroadwayWorld5/5[21]
Retropop[22]
Slant Magazine[23]

Matt Collar of AllMusic rated the album three and a half out of five stars and stated that Cher’s Christmas puts her unique touch on a mix of original songs and holiday classics.[20] He highlighted tracks like the dance-oriented "DJ Play a Christmas Song" and the hip-hop-influenced "Drop Top Sleigh Ride," featuring Tyga, as standout moments.[20]

Bobby Patrick from BroadwayWorld rated Christmas 5 out of 5, praising the album as a must-have holiday collection.[21] He praised the collaborations with artists like Darlene Love, Michael Bublé, and Stevie Wonder, and commended Cher's enduring power and relevance in the music industry, calling the album a celebration of her timeless voice and energy.[21]

Connor Gotto from Retropop praised Cher’s collaborations, especially the "powerhouse duet" with Darlene Love on "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and Stevie Wonder's joyful contribution to "What Christmas Means to Me".[22] While Gotto found the reworked "Home" with Michael Bublé a bit off-key, he lauded the album for its overall joy, calling it quintessentially Cher.[22]

Commercial performance

Christmas debuted at number 32 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Holiday Albums chart with 21,000 album-equivalent units, from which 20,000 comprised album sales.[24] Christmas was declared by Billboard the top-selling seasonal collection of 2023 by traditional album sales, with 133,000 copies sold in the US during the Nov. 4, 2023 through Jan. 6, 2024 period.[25]

In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 42 on the UK Albums Chart.[26] In the week of December 22, 2023, it rose to number 5.[27]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Mark Taylor; except "Drop Top Sleigh Ride" produced by Alexander Edwards, Ryan OG, and Mike Crook.

Christmas track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."DJ Play a Christmas Song"
3:29
2."What Christmas Means to Me" (with Stevie Wonder)
2:35
3."Run Rudolph Run"
2:53
4."Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (with Darlene Love)
2:43
5."Angels in the Snow"
  • Ferras
  • Hudson
  • Saint John
  • McLaughlin
  • Abrahart
  • Schick
  • Crasta
2:52
6."Home" (with Michael Bublé)
3:44
7."Drop Top Sleigh Ride" (with Tyga)
  • McLaughlin
  • Ferras
  • Abrahart
  • Saint John
  • Crasta
  • Schick
  • Michael Stevenson
  • Hudson
3:20
8."Please Come Home for Christmas"
2:55
9."I Like Christmas"
  • Bryan Frasher
  • Maxwell Frasher
  • Traci Frasher
2:59
10."Christmas Ain't Christmas Without You"
  • Alexis Francis
  • Mark Taylor
  • Patrick Mascall
  • Paul Barry
2:55
11."Santa Baby"
3:21
12."Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart" (with Cyndi Lauper)
  • Greg Wojahn
  • Rodger Wojahn
  • Scott Wojahn
3:07
13."This Will Be Our Year"Chris White2:14
Total length:39:48

Charts

Chart performance for Christmas
Chart (2023–2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 40
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] 7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 49
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 45
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] 37
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[33] 16
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[34] 54
French Physical Albums (SNEP)[35] 47
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 9
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[37] 17
Irish Albums (IRMA)[38] 66
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[39] 55
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[40] 18
Poland Streaming Albums (ZPAV)[41] 71
Scottish Albums (OCC)[42] 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[43] 60
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[44] 23
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 12
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade Romandy)[46] 10
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 5
US Billboard 200[47] 32
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[48] 1

References

  1. ^ White, Jack (January 29, 2018). "Cher to release a new album of ABBA covers in 2019". Official Charts.
  2. ^ Stroude, Will (September 7, 2023). "Cher unveils Christmas album artwork as she officially launches first-ever festive record". PinkNews. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Cher reveals new Christmas album cover ahead of first-ever festive record". Virgin Radio. September 8, 2023. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Major, Michael (September 7, 2023). "Photo: Cher Unveils Christmas Album Cover; Get a First Listen". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Holland, Georgie (September 8, 2023). "Cher's Christmas album is coming: Here's what we know". Planet Radio. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  6. ^ Segarra, Edward (September 7, 2023). "Cher reveals cover of first-ever Christmas album: 'Can we say Merry Chermas now?'". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "Cher - Christmas (Target Exclusive, CD)". Target Corporation. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  8. ^ "Cher - Christmas CD". Cher Official Store. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  9. ^ "Christmas (Amazon Exclusive Cover)". Amazon (US). Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  10. ^ Newman, Melinda (October 6, 2023). "Cher on Making Her First Holiday Record: 'I Had No Intention of Doing a Christmas Album' (Exclusive)". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  11. ^ McIntyre, Hugh (September 8, 2023). "Cher drops a very gay cover for her Christmas album". Metro Weekly. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  12. ^ "Cher Is Making Requests on Holiday Single 'DJ Play a Christmas Song'". Rolling Stone. October 6, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
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  16. ^ "Cher Chart History: Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
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  18. ^ "Cher Chart History: Canada AC". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
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  21. ^ a b c "Album Review: Christmas is a Time to Cher!". BroadwayWorld. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
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  23. ^ Camp, Alexa (October 20, 2023). "Cher Christmas Album Review". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
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  25. ^ "Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey & Brenda Lee: Here Are the Biggest Hits of the 2023 Holiday Season". Billboard. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  26. ^ "Christmas (Cher) Official Charts". Official Charts Company. October 27, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  27. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
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  33. ^ "Lista prodaje 48. tjedan 2023" (in Croatian). Top of the Shops. November 20, 2023. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
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  37. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2023. 43. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  38. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 8 December 2023". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  39. ^ "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
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