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This Christmas, Aretha

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This Christmas

Studio album by

Aretha Franklin

Released

October 14, 2008

Recorded

June–August 2008

Studios

Firehouse Recording Studios (Pasadena, CA)^[1]
Studio A Recording (Dearborn, MI)^[1]
Capitol Studios (Hollywood, CA)^[1]
Legacy Studios (New York, NY)^[1]
Glenwood Place Studios (Burbank, CA)

Genres

R&B^[2]
Christmas^[2]

Length

51:00

Label

DMI

Producers

Aretha Franklin
Tena Clark

Aretha Franklin chronology

Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen
(2007)

This Christmas
(2008)

A Woman Falling Out of Love
(2011)

This Christmas is the first Christmas album and thirty-sixth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. Produced by Franklin and Tena Clark, it was originally released on October 14, 2008, as a Borders exclusive, consisting of eleven cover versions of Christmas standards and carols. In 2009, the album was reissued by DMI Records. This Christmas peaked at number 102 on the US Billboard 200.^[3]^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	^[5]
AllMusic	^[2]
MSN Music	^[6]
The Toronto Star	^[7]

Allmusic editor Andy Kellman wrote:

"the disc is filled mostly with the spiritual and relatively serious side of holiday material. The likes of "Silent Night," "Ave Maria," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and "Angels We Have Heard on High" are given the kind of treatment only Aretha could grant .... It's not all reverence and reflection: best of all is a reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" that can only be termed "personalized".^[2]

Track listing

Credits taken from the album's liner notes.^[1]

*This Christmas, Aretha* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Angels We Have Heard on High"	James Chadwick	Tena Clark	5:26
2.	"This Christmas" (with Edward Franklin)	Donny Hathaway Nadine McKinnor	Clark	5:23
3.	"My Grown-Up Christmas List"	David Foster Linda Thompson-Jenner	Clark	5:15
4.	"The Lord Will Make a Way"	Traditional	Aretha Franklin	5:43
5.	"Silent Night"	Franz Gruber Josef Mohr	Clark	5:06
6.	"Ave Maria"	Charles Gounod Johann Sebastian Bach	Clark	4:57
7.	"Christmas Ain't Christmas (Without the One You Love)"	Kenneth Gamble Leon Huff	Clark	3:53
8.	"14 Angels"	Engelbert Humperdinck	Franklin	2:08
9.	"One Night With the King"	Jeannie Tenney	Franklin	6:09
10.	"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"	Charles Wesley Felix Mendelssohn	Clark	5:24
11.	"'Twas the Night Before Christmas"	Clement C. Moore	Franklin	1:52

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[1]

Vocalists

Aretha Franklin – lead vocals (1, 4–7, 10), vocals (2, 3, 8, 9, 11)
Edward Franklin – vocals (2)
Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (4)
Shelly Ponder – backing vocals (4)
Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals (4, 7), BGV contractor (7)
Brenda White-King – backing vocals (4, 7)
Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (7)
Vaneese Thomas – backing vocals (7)

The Fire Choir (Tracks 1, 5, 6 & 10)

Bridgette Bryant
Alvin Chea
Lynne Fiddmont
Wendy Fraser
Dorian Holley
Clydene Jackson
Susie Stevens-Logan
Carmen Twillie (also choir arrangements and conductor)
Oren Waters
Gerald White
Terry Wood (also choir contractor)

Musicians

Timothy Heinz – keyboards (1, 6, 10)
James "Big Jim" Wright – keyboards (2, 3, 7)
Richard Gibbs – acoustic piano (4, 9)
Darryl Houston – organ (4, 9)
Aretha Franklin – acoustic piano (5, 8)
Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar (1, 2, 6, 7, 10)
Matt Dahlgren – guitar (4, 9)
Teddy Richards-White – guitar (4)
Nathan East – bass (1–3, 6, 7, 10)
Charles "Volley" Craig – bass (4, 8, 9)
Ricky Lawson – drums (1–3, 6, 7, 10)
Arthur Marbury – drums (4, 8, 9)
Luis Conte – percussion (2, 3, 7)
Michito Sanchez – percussion (7)
Brandon Fields – saxophone (7)
Onita Sanders – harp (8)

Music arrangements

Bill Meyers – orchestral arrangements and conductor
Suzie Katayama – orchestra contractor
Timothy Heinz – rhythm arrangements (1, 6, 10)
James "Big Jim" Wright – rhythm arrangements (2, 3, 7)
Aretha Franklin – arrangements (4, 8)
H. B. Barnum – conductor (4, 8, 9)

Production and Technical

Ken Batchelor – A&R
Tena Clark – producer (1–3, 5–7, 10, 11)
Aretha Franklin – producer (4, 8, 9)
Les Cooper – recording (1–3, 5–7, 10, 11)
Todd Fairall – recording (4, 8, 9)
Michael J. Powell – engineer (4, 8, 9), consultant (4, 8, 9)
Al Schmitt – mixing, string recording
Don Goodrick – assistant engineer
George Gumbs – assistant engineer
Tony Rizzo – assistant engineer
Ed Woolley – assistant engineer
Steve Genewick – Pro Tools editing
Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Ojai, California)
Ivy Skoff – production coordinator
Ruth Bowen – product manager
Diana Barnes – art direction, design
Timothy White – photography
Mia Morgan – styling
Katherine Bocci – gown designs
Renee Garnes – make-up
Carlton Northern – hair
Travolta Williams – hair

Charts

Chart (2009–2011)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[3]	102
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)^[8]	22

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 Franklin, Aretha. "This Christmas, Aretha" (Album Notes). DMI Records. 2008.
1 2 3 4 Kellman, Andy. This Christmas, Aretha at AllMusic
1 2 "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
↑ "Aretha Franklin's remixed 'Silent Night'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
↑ Nero, Mark Edward. "A Beautiful Thing". About.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
↑ MSN Music review
↑ Infantry, Ashante (November 18, 2008). "Aretha Franklin: This Christmas". The Toronto Star. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
↑ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2020.

v t e Aretha Franklin
Studio albums	Aretha (1961) The Electrifying Aretha Franklin (1962) The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin (1962) Laughing on the Outside (1963) Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington (1964) Runnin' Out of Fools (1964) Yeah!!! (1965) Songs of Faith (1965) Soul Sister (1966) I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967) Take It Like You Give It (1967) Aretha Arrives (1967) Lady Soul (1968) Aretha Now (1968) Soul '69 (1969) Soft and Beautiful (1969) This Girl's in Love with You (1970) Spirit in the Dark (1970) Young, Gifted and Black (1972) Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) (1973) Let Me in Your Life (1974) With Everything I Feel in Me (1974) You (1975) Sparkle (1976) Sweet Passion (1977) Almighty Fire (1978) La Diva (1979) Aretha (1980) Love All the Hurt Away (1981) Jump to It (1982) Get It Right (1983) Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985) Aretha (1986) Through the Storm (1989) What You See Is What You Sweat (1991) A Rose Is Still a Rose (1998) So Damn Happy (2003) This Christmas, Aretha (2008) A Woman Falling Out of Love (2011) Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics (2014)
Live albums	Aretha in Paris (1968) Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1971) Amazing Grace (1972) One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (1987) Oh Me Oh My: Aretha Live in Philly, 1972 (2007)
Compilation albums	Take a Look (1967) Aretha's Gold (1969) Aretha's Greatest Hits (1971) The Best of Aretha Franklin (1973) Aretha Sings the Blues (1980) 30 Greatest Hits (1985) Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (1992/2014) Greatest Hits: 1980–1994 (1994) The Very Best of Aretha Franklin, Vol. 1 (1994) Greatest Hits (1998) Aretha's Best (2001) Respect: The Very Best of Aretha Franklin (2002) The Queen in Waiting: The Columbia Years (1960–1965) (2002) Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul (2007) Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen (2007) A Brand New Me (2017) The Atlantic Singles Collection 1967–1970 (2018)
Singles	"Precious Lord (Part 1)" (1959) "Today I Sing the Blues" (1960) "Won't Be Long" (1960) "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" (1961) "Operation Heartbreak" (1961) "I Surrender, Dear" (1962) "Try a Little Tenderness" (1962) "Say It Isn't So" (1963) "Skylark" (1963) "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" (1964) "One Step Ahead" (1965) "You Made Me Love You" (1965) "Mockingbird" (1967) "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967) "Respect" (1967) "Baby I Love You" (1967) "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (1967) "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" "Chain of Fools" (1967) "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1968) "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" (1968) "Think" (1968) "You Send Me" (1968) "The House That Jack Built" (1968) "I Say a Little Prayer" (1968) "See Saw" (1968) "My Song" (1968) "The Weight" (1969) "Tracks of My Tears" (1969) "I Can't See Myself Leaving You" (1969) "Gentle on My Mind" (1969) "Share Your Love with Me" (1969) "Eleanor Rigby" (1969) "Call Me" (1970) "Son of a Preacher Man" (1970) "Spirit in the Dark" (1970) "The Thrill Is Gone" (1970) "Don't Play That Song" (1970) "Border Song (Holy Moses)" (1970) "You're All I Need to Get By" (1971) "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1971) "Spanish Harlem" (1971) "Rock Steady" (1971) "Day Dreaming" (1972) "Angel" (1973) "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" (1973) "I'm in Love" (1974) "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (1974) "Something He Can Feel" (1976) "Break It to Me Gently" (1977) "What a Fool Believes" (1981) "It's My Turn" (1981) "Jump to It" (1982) "Get It Right" (1983) "Freeway of Love" (1985) "Who's Zoomin' Who" (1985) "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (1985) "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986) "Jimmy Lee" (1986) "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987) "Rock-A-Lott" (1987) "Oh Happy Day" (1988) "Gimme Your Love" (1989) "Through the Storm" (1989) "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be" (1989) "Everyday People" (1991) "Someday We'll All Be Free" (1992) "Ever Changing Times" (1992) "A Deeper Love" (1993) "Willing to Forgive" (1994) "A Rose Is Still a Rose" (1998) "Here We Go Again" (1998) "Put You Up on Game" (2007) "Angels We Have Heard on High" (2009) "Rolling in the Deep (The Aretha Version)" (2014)
Related	Awards and nominations Discography "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)" Amazing Grace (2018 film) Genius (2021 television series) Respect (2021 film) Ted White
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