The title track, "Someday at Christmas", has an anti-war and civil rights theme. It was written by Ron Miller and Bryan Wells and first released as a single by Stevie Wonder in 1966.[3] It reached #24 on the Billboard Christmas singles chart that year. It then became the title track to Wonder's 1967 album, Someday at Christmas, which also shares two other tracks this album: "The Little Drummer Boy" and "The Christmas Song".[4]
The album peaked at No. 93 on the Billboard 200,[5] No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart[6] and No. 3 on the Billboard Holiday Albums chart.[7]
Promotion
Evancho performed the title track on the Memphis, Tennessee, morning show Local Memphis Live on November 3, 2016.[8] Shortly before the release of the album, she appeared on the cover of the Fall 2016 issue of Inspiring Lives Magazine. The issue contains an interview, "Jackie Evancho: An Opera Angel and a Pop Star".[9] She also performed some of the songs from the album in her 2016 holiday concerts.[10]
Evancho performed "Little Drummer Boy", together with Il Volo, on NBC's Today Show in New York City on December 14, 2016,[11] and the title track on Fox's Good Day Chicago the following day.[12] She sang "Someday at Christmas" on NBC's America's Got Talent Holiday Spectacular on December 19, 2016[13] and on Harry on December 20.[14]
Reception
The album peaked at No. 93 on the Billboard 200,[5] No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart[6] and No. 3 on the Billboard Holiday Albums chart.[7]Someday at Christmas was the No. 27 best-selling classical album of Billboard's 2016 year (which ends after November).[15] It remained on the Classical Albums chart for 14 weeks.[16]
A review in Cedar Rapids, Iowa's The Gazette called the album "a shimmering showcase for [Evancho's] incredible vocal range and interests. ... [The] duets in this project display her talents for harmonies, as well as tender melodies."[17] Miriam Di Nunzio wrote in Chicago Sun-Times, "Lush strings, sweeping orchestrations are served well by this 16-year-old songstress. 'Do You Hear What I Hear' is hauntingly beautiful. 'The Christmas Song' is a bit overdramatic, but still likeable. 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' is gentle and sweeping. Evancho’s voice has matured quite nicely and those piercing high notes that she navigates so effortlessly serve her well on this collection."[18] Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times commented that Evancho "shows off a remarkably mature voice on her classically rooted Christmas outing. The music is at its most gorgeously formal in her duets with superstar tenor Placido Domingo, but she also delivers a nicely down-to-earth version of" the title track.[19]
Adolphe Adam (music) John Sullivan Dwight (lyrics);[21] arranged by Nick Patrick and William Hayward (Awakening Deluxe ed. 2014; Ave Maria (Grigolo) 2013)
