The Christmas season is almost upon us, and classical crooner Josh Groban is celebrating with an expanded edition of Noël, his best-selling holiday album.
Released in the fall of 2007, a holiday record was something of an inevitability for the lyric baritone, who at the time had spent the better part of the previous decade becoming an adult contemporary sensation. At 19, he stepped in for opera singer Andrea Bocelli during a rehearsal for the Grammy Awards in 1999, where he sang "The Prayer" with Celine Dion. That year's Grammy host, Rosie O'Donnell, booked him on her daytime talk show, which led to a guest role on the sitcom Ally McBeal and a recording contract with producer David Foster; his self-titled debut, released in 2001, was a Top 10 album in America, selling more than five million copies.
In the years leading up to Noël, Groban had not only maintained his grip on the easy listening market--releasing two more Top 5 multiplatinum studio albums--but he'd notched two notable Christmas recordings: a soaring version of "O Holy Night" in 2002, and the touching "Believe," a ballad written by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard for the 2004 film version of the classic children's book The Polar Express. Both songs topped Billboard's adult contemporary chart. Noël became one of Groban's biggest successes, becoming his second No. 1 album (staying on top for five weeks through the entire Christmas season and first week of 2008) and the best-selling album of 2007 overall.
The 10th anniversary edition of the album, available now, adds six bonus tracks. In addition to the previously available "O Holy Night" and "Believe," the set now includes a rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (released on a Barnes & Noble-exclusive vinyl single in 2016) plus new recordings of "White Christmas," "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and a duet of the Charlie Brown Christmas staple "Christmas Time Is Here" with Tony Bennett.
Pre-order your copy from Amazon below!
Noël: 10th Anniversary Edition (Reprise 564503-2, 2017)
Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
* indicates bonus track
- Silent Night
- Little Drummer Boy
- I'll Be Home For Christmas
- Ave Maria
- Angels We Have Heard On High (Duet with Brian McKnight)
- Thankful
- The Christmas Song
- What Child Is This?
- The First Noël (Duet with Faith Hill)
- Petit Papa Noël
- It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
- Panis Angelicus
- O Come All Ye Faithful (with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
- White Christmas *
- Christmas Time Is Here (Duet with Tony Bennett) *
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas *
- Happy Xmas (War Is Over) *
- Believe *
- O Holy Night *
Tracks 1-12 originally released as 143/Reprise 231548-2, 2007
Track 16 originally released on Reprise single 557272-7, 2016
Track 18 originally released on The Polar Express: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Reprise/Warner Sunset 48897-2, 2004)
Track 19 originally released on 143/Reprise promo single 101013, 2002
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