Carole King - A Holiday Carole (LP)

Carole King - A Holiday Carole (LP)

Carole King's classic holiday album, A Holiday Carole, released in 2011. Produced by her daughter Louise Goffin, the album's 12 songs artfully blend the sacred and the secular with an eclectic mix of well-chosen standards and newly written material. Goffin co-wrote three original tracks on the album, including the Latin-flavored "Christmas in Paradise," on which she collaborated with Grammywinners George Noriega and Jodi Marr, the sublime Goffin/Marr composition "Christmas In The Air," and the deeply moving "New Year's Day," co-written with renowned songsmith Guy Chambers. "As an experienced producer," King remembers, "Louise's first question to me as her artist was, 'What songs do you like?'" After compiling a list of favorites, Goffin went on the hunt for more unusual tracks, coming up with tunes like William Bell & Booker T. Jones' Stax classic "Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday." King puts her own indelible stamp on the music, lending it a special seasonal flair.

For King, the album's emotional highlight is undoubtedly "Chanukah Prayer." "Louise had the brilliant idea to take the Chanukah prayer that I learned from my parents, and they learned from their parents, and back through generations," she explains. "She said 'I want to record you singing that and I'm going to build a track around it.'" The result is a warm, jazz-inflected tune that brings together three generations on vocals: King, her daughter, and her grandson.

TRACKLIST
SIDE A
1. My Favorite Things
2. Carol of the Bells
3. Sleigh Ride
4. Christmas Paradise
5. Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday
6. Chanukah Prayer
SIDE B
1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
2. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
3. Christmas in the Air
4. Do You Hear What I Hear
5. This Christmas
6. New Year's Day