A Sentimental Christmas
A Sentimental Christmas is the first Christmas album by American Christian singer-songwriter Kathy Troccoli. It was released on September 28, 1999, by Reunion Records. The album features holiday favorites, plus a duet with Andy Williams on his signature Christmas classic "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and an original song "Only Always" written by Troccoli and Jeff Franzel. Troccoli co-produced the album with Larry Day. A Sentimental Christmas debuted and peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.
Track listing
- "White Christmas" - 4:22
- "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - 3:12
- "O Little Town of Bethlehem/Away in a Manger" - 2:43
- "Only Always" - 3:19
- "Winter Wonderland" - 3:17
- "What Child Is This?" - 3:42
- "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" - 3:07
- "I'll Be Home for Christmas" - 3:45
- "The Christmas Song" - 3:28
- "Sleigh Ride" - 3:46
- "Silent Night" - 4:32
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - 2:44
Personnel
- Kathy Troccoli – vocals
- Jeff Franzel – acoustic piano
- Robert Redd – acoustic piano
- John Leonard – bass
- Dominic Smith – drums
- Mark Douthit – saxophones
- Rob Holmes – saxophones
- Ben Kono – saxophones
- Luis Hernandez – saxophones
- Marty Nau – saxophones, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, horn contractor
- Harvey Coonin – trombone
- Jim McFalls – trombone
- John Montgomery – trombone
- Chris Walker – trumpet
- Tom Williams – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Don Marsh – arrangements
- Scott Silbert – arrangements
- Andy Williams – vocals
Production
- Dean Diehl – executive producer
- George King – executive producer
- Kathy Troccoli – producer
- Larry Day – producer
- Lynn Fuston – engineer, mixing
- Doug Sarrett – engineer
- Michael Wilson – enhanced CD development
- Elizabeth Workman – art direction
- Chad Hunter – design
- Tim Parker – design
- Robert Fleischauer – photography
Critical reception
Steve Huey of AllMusic says A Sentimental Christmas "plays it pretty safe, even as Christmas albums go — there's one new composition, 'Only Always,' but the other 11 selections are time-tested holiday standards performed with big-band arrangements. It's all very traditional, evoking images of warm fires and family gatherings, and that's exactly the kind of Christmas record most people will want."Tony Cummings of Cross Rhythms has called the album a "classy set" and that Troccoli has added "jazz phrasing to her impressive vocal armoury and with her Sarah Vaughn-style interpretations of a set of Christmas standards and jazz accompaniments classily produced by Larry Day and Troccoli, this is definitely one for the sophisticates among us."