| Christmas Duets | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by | |
| Released | October 10, 2008[1] |
| Recorded | September 5–7, 1957, May 15–July 1971 (Elvis' vocals and some instrumentation from original recordings); 2008 (new backing tracks and vocals) |
| Genre | Country, pop, CCM, Christmas |
| Length | 38:56 |
| Label | RCA |
| Producer | Chuck Ainlay, Larry Hamby (as executive producer) |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
Christmas Duets is a 2008 album released by RCA Records, consisting of archival Elvis Presley vocal recordings mixed with completely re-recorded instrumentation and new vocals by contemporary country and gospel singers.[3] Three tracks on the album do not have duet vocals: "The First Noel", "If I Get Home On Christmas Day", and "Winter Wonderland". However, the instrumental tracks for these songs were re-recorded by contemporary musicians, just like on all other songs. Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood duets have both charted on the Billboard country charts, with the former reaching the Top 40.
A second version of "Blue Christmas" was recorded with Martina McBride using mainly acoustic instrumentation in order to obtain a similar arrangement to the one used in the informal segments of Presley's '68 Comeback Special. Also, shots of McBride performing the song were digitally inserted into footage, taken from the original special, of Presley performing the same song, to use as a promotional music video for the album. The second version of "Blue Christmas" was never officially released outside the video.
On March 8, 2018, the album was awarded a Gold certification by the RIAA for selling in excess of 500,000 copies.
| No. | Title | Duet with | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Christmas" | Martina McBride | 2:30 |
| 2. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | Carrie Underwood | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" | LeAnn Rimes | 1:58 |
| 4. | "Santa Claus Is Back in Town" | Wynonna Judd | 2:26 |
| 5. | "Silent Night" | Sara Evans | 2:24 |
| 6. | "White Christmas" | Amy Grant | 2:25 |
| 7. | "Merry Christmas Baby" | Gretchen Wilson | 8:06 |
| 8. | "O Little Town of Bethlehem" | Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town | 2:38 |
| 9. | "Silver Bells" | Anne Murray | 2:27 |
| 10. | "O Come, All Ye Faithful" | Olivia Newton-John | 2:52 |
| 11. | "The First Noel" (2008) | — | 2:14 |
| 12. | "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" (2008) | — | 2:55 |
| 13. | "Winter Wonderland" (2008) | — | 2:25 |
Partial credits from Keith Flynn and Ernst Jorgensen's examination of session tapes and RCA and AFM paperwork.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Unless otherwise indicated, overdub credits are obtained from the album's liner notes.[4]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US AC | ||
| 2008 | "Blue Christmas" (w/ Martina McBride) | 36 | 22 |
| "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (w/ Carrie Underwood) | 54 | — | |
