A Very Special Season
Studio album by
Diana Ross
ReleasedNovember 14, 1994
Genre
Length56:22
LabelEMI
ProducerNick Martinelli
Diana Ross chronology
Diana Extended: The Remixes
(1994) 		A Very Special Season
(1994) 		Take Me Higher
(1995)

A Very Special Season is the twentieth studio album and first holiday album by American singer Diana Ross, released on November 14, 1994, by EMI Records. Produced by Nick Martinelli, whom Ross worked with several times around the early nineties, it is a lush, soulful pop album, consisting mostly of traditional Christmas standards as well as takes on more contemporary songs by Burt Bacharach, John Lennon, and Stevie Wonder. The set was only released for the international market where it peaked at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[2]

The album was remastered and repackaged as Wonderful Christmas Time in 2018. The re-titled re-issue of the album, issued by Ross' own label Ross Records, featured new cover art and the six-tracks that Ross had originally recorded for the 1994 Hallmark album, Making Spirits Bright, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra.[3] Ross promoted the release with performances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and at the Rockefeller Center Tree-lighting concert special in November 2018.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Allmusic editor Jose F. Promis found that A Very Special Season "easily ranks among the diva's best of the '90s. Instead of opting for hip arrangements aimed at pleasing a younger, jaded audience, all the songs on this set are classically arranged with lush orchestrations, resulting in a truly timeless holiday album, not unlike what one would have expected from the crooners and sirens of yesteryear. The songs are all lovingly produced, and Ross effectively wraps her silken pipes around each tune with utmost sincerity."[1]

Track listing

All songs produced by Nick Martinelli.[1]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Winter Wonderland"
3:22
2."White Christmas"Irving Berlin3:20
3."Wonderful Christmastime"Paul McCartney3:09
4."What the World Needs Now"
4:20
5."Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"
3:15
6."Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
2:14
7."Amazing Grace"John Newton5:21
8."His Eye Is on the Sparrow"Civilla D. Martin5:21
9."Silent Night"
5:01
10."Overjoyed"Stevie Wonder4:05
11."O Holy Night"
4:44
12."Someday at Christmas"
4:09
13."Ave Maria"Franz Schubert5:52
14."The Christmas Song"
3:13
Wonderful Christmas Time (2018 reissue)[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wonderful Christmastime"McCartney3:09
2."Sleigh Ride"/"Jingle Bells"
3:40
3."Winter Wonderland"
  • Bernard
  • Smith
3:22
4."It's Christmas Time"Traditional3:18
5."White Christmas"Berlin3:20
6."Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
  • Cahn
  • Styne
2:14
7."The Christmas Song"
  • Tormé
  • Wells
3:13
8."Overjoyed"Wonder4:05
9."Someday at Christmas"
  • Miller
  • Wells
4:09
10."What the World Needs Now"
  • Bacharach
  • David
4:20
11."Amazing Grace"Newton5:21
12."His Eye Is on the Sparrow"Martin5:21
13."Silent Night"
  • Gruber
  • Mohr
5:01
14."O Holy Night"
  • Adam
  • Dwight
4:44
15."O Little Town of Bethlehem"Phillips Brooks4:25
16."Ave Maria"Schubert5:52
17."Go Tell It on the Mountain"John Wesley Work Jr.5:08
18."The First Noël"Traditional3:30
19."I Heard the Bells"Traditional2:53
20."Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"
  • Lennon
  • Ono
3:15

Charts

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[4] 93
UK Albums (OCC)[5] 37

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[2] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Promis, Jose F. "Review". Allmusic. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "British album certifications – Diana Ross – A Very Special Season". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Wonderful Christmas Time". iTunes. Apple (US). Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Diana Ross – A Very Special Season" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  5. ^ "Diana Ross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
Categories