This Christmas, Aretha

This Christmas, Aretha 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 Bookstore exclusive, consisting of eleven cover versions of Christmas standards and carols. In 2009, the album was reissued in 2009 on DMI Records. This Christmas debuted and peaked at number 102 on the US Billboard 200.[2][3]

This Christmas, Aretha
Studio album by Aretha Franklin
Released	October 14, 2008
Recorded	June–August 2008
Genre	R&B[1] Christmas[1]
Length	51:00
Label	DMI
Producer	Aretha Franklin Tena Clark
Aretha Franklin chronology
Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen (2007) This Christmas, Aretha (2008) A Woman Falling Out of Love (2011)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
MSN Music	[4]
The Toronto Star	[5]

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".[1]

Track listing

Credits taken from the album's liner notes.[6]

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.[6]

Vocalists

• Aretha Franklin – vocals (2-3, 8-9, 11, lead on 1, 4-7, 10)
• Tawatha Agee – background vocals (4)
• Bridgette Bryant – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Alvin Chea – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Lynne Fiddmont – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• The Fire Choir – background vocals (1, 5-6, 10)
• Lisa Fischer – background vocals (7)
• Edward Franklin – vocals (2)
• Wendy Fraser – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Dorian Holley – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Clydene Jackson – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Shelly Ponder – background vocals (4)
• Susie Stevens-Logan – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Vanesse Thomas – background vocals (7)
• Fonzi Thornton – background vocals (4, 7)
• Carmen Twillie – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Oren Waters – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Gerald White – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)
• Brenda White-King – background vocals (4, 7)
• Terry Wood – Fire choir member (1, 5-6, 10)

Instrumentalists

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

Technical

• Aretha Franklin – producer (4, 8-9)
• H. B. Barnum – conductor (4, 8-9)
• Tena Clark – producer (1-3, 5-7, 10-11)
• Les Cooper – recording engineer (1-3, 5-7, 10-11)
• Todd Fairall – recording engineer (4, 8-9)
• Steve Genewick – Pro-tools editing
• Don Goodrick – assistant recording engineer
• George Gumbs – assistant recording engineer
• Timothy Heinz – rhythm arrangements (1, 6, 10)
• Bill Meyers – orchestral arrangement, orchestra conductor
• Michael J. Powell – recording engineer (4, 8-9)
• Tony Rizzo – assistant recording engineer
• Al Schmitt – audio mixing, strings recording engineer
• Carmen Twillie – choir arrangements, choir conductor (1, 5-6, 10)
• Ed Woolley – assistant recording engineer
• James "Big Jim" Wright – rhythm arrangements (2-3, 7)

Charts

Chart (2009–11)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[2]	102
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[7]	22

References

1. Kellman, Andy. This Christmas, Aretha at AllMusic
2. "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
3. "Aretha Franklin's remixed 'Silent Night'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
4. MSN Music review
5. Infantry, Ashante (November 18, 2008). "Aretha Franklin: This Christmas". The Toronto Star. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
6. Franklin, Aretha. "This Christmas, Aretha" (Album Notes). DMI Records. 2008.
7. "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2020.