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Miracles: The Holiday Album

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Miracles: The Holiday Album
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 22, 1994
Recorded1994
GenreSmooth jazz, christmas
Length35:49
LabelArista
ProducerKenny G
Kenny G chronology
Breathless
(1992)
Miracles: The Holiday Album
(1994)
The Very Best of Kenny G
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[2]

Miracles: The Holiday Album is the first holiday album and seventh studio album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records on November 22, 1994, and peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200, Contemporary Jazz Albums and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.[3] It was the overall best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States for both 1994 and 1996.[4] It sold 2,987,000 copies in 1994 and 888,000 copies in 1996.[5]

According to Billboard magazine, Miracles: The Holiday Album is the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of the Nielsen SoundScan era of music sales tracking (March 1991 – present). As of November 2014, the album has sold a total of 7,310,000 copies in the U.S. according to SoundScan.[6]

Miracles: The Holiday Album was certified eight-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of eight million copies in the United States.[7]

Track listing (non-US edition)

[edit]
  1. "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard/Dick Smith) – 3:03
  2. "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin) – 3:02
  3. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Hugh Martin/Ralph Blane) – 3:58
  4. "The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé/Robert Wells) – 4:03
  5. "Silent Night" (Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr) – 3:47
  6. "Brahms's Lullaby" (Johannes Brahms) – 3:15
  7. "Greensleeves (What Child Is This?) (Traditional)" – 3:29
  8. "Miracles" (Kenny G/Walter Afanasieff) – 2:32
  9. "Away in a Manger" (James R. Murray) – 2:39
  10. "The Chanukah Song" (Kenny G/Walter Afanasieff) – 2:31
  11. "Little Drummer Boy[8][9][10]" (Katherine K. Davis/Henry Onerati/Harry Simeone) – 4:05
  12. "Silver Bells" (Jay Livingston/Ray Evans) – 4:00
  13. "Spring Breeze" (Ling-Chiu Lee/Yu-Shian Deng) – 3:20

Track listing (US edition)

[edit]
  1. "Winter Wonderland" – 3:03
  2. "White Christmas" – 3:02
  3. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" – 3:58
  4. "Silent Night" – 3:47
  5. "Greensleeves" – 3:29
  6. "Miracles" – 2:32
  7. "Little Drummer Boy[8][9][10]" – 4:05
  8. "The Chanukah Song" – 2:31
  9. "Silver Bells" – 4:00
  10. "Away in a Manger" – 2:39
  11. "Brahms's Lullaby" – 3:15

Personnel

[edit]
  • Kenny G – arrangements, soprano saxophone (1, 2, 4–6, 8–11, 13), tenor saxophone (3, 12), alto saxophone (7)
  • Walter Afanasieff – arrangements (1, 3–13), all other instruments (1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 13), acoustic piano (2, 4, 6, 8, 10), keyboards (7), bass (7), drums (7), organ (12)
  • Gary Cirimelli – digital programming, Synclavier programming
  • Randy Waldman – acoustic piano (12)
  • Dann Huff – guitar (12)
  • Randy Jackson – bass (12)
  • John Robinson – drums (12)
  • Robert Damper – arrangements (2)
  • William Ross – string arrangements and conductor (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10)

Production

[edit]
  • Producer – Kenny G
  • Engineers – Steve Sheppard (tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 & 10); David Gleeson (tracks 4, 5 & 11); Dana Jon Chappelle (tracks 7, 12 & 13).
  • Assistant Engineer on track 12 – Noel Hazel
  • Mixed by Mick Guzauski (tracks 1–12) and Steve Sheppard (track 13).
  • Recorded and Mixed at Studio G (Seattle, WA).
  • Strings on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 & 10 recorded at Humberto Gatica at Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood, CA).
  • Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
  • Art Direction and Design – Christopher Stern
  • Photography – Timothy White

Chart positions

[edit]
Chart (1994) Peak
position
The Billboard 200 1
US Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard) 1
US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 1

Singles

[edit]

Information taken from this source.[11]

Year Title Chart Positions
US Adult Contemporary
1995 "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" 26

Certifications and Sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[12] Gold 35,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[13] Platinum 250,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[14] Gold 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[15] Gold 7,500^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[16] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] 8× Platinum 8,000,000^
Summaries
Asia Pacific 1,500,000[18]
Worldwide 13,000,000[19]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  3. ^ Charts & Awards at Allmusic
  4. ^ "Chart Watch Extra: Bring On Christmas!". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2009-12-11. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  5. ^ Paul Grein (October 29, 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: What Will Be This Year's Top Christmas Album?". Chart Watch. Yahoo.
  6. ^ "The Gifts That Keep on Giving: Biggest Radio and Album Hits of the Holidays". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  7. ^ "Kenny G Celebrates RIAA Certified Diamond, Multi-Platinum, Platinum and Gold Albums and 75 Million Total Worldwide Sales". Vegas24Seven.com. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  8. ^ a b Arista Records, Inc. "Miracles: The Holiday Album (back of album cover)". Img.discogs.com. Arista Records, Inc. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020. 11. Little Drummer Boy
  9. ^ a b "Miracles: The Holiday Album". Spotify.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020. 7. Little Drummer Boy
  10. ^ a b "Miracles: The Holiday Album". Amazon.com. Retrieved 4 October 2020. 7. Little Drummer Boy
  11. ^ Billboard Singles at Allmusic
  12. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Kenny G – Miracles" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  14. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Kenny G – Miracles" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 28 May 2019. Select 1997年1月 on the drop-down menu
  15. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Kenny G – Miracles". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  16. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 938. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  17. ^ "American album certifications – Kenny G – Miracles: The Holiday Album". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  18. ^ McClure, Steve (14 September 2002). "Really Big in Japan". Billboard. p. 40. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  19. ^ Cathy Rose A. Garcia (19 February 2008). "Kenny G Returns in April". Korea Times. Retrieved May 31, 2022.