Watching the Snow
Watching the Snow is a jazz album by the American singer Michael Franks. It was released in Japan by Columbia Records in 2003, in the U.S. by Sleeping Gypsy in 2004, and again in the U.S. by Koch Records.
Watching the Snow was Franks' first Christmas album. Rather than covering other holiday music standards, he wrote all the songs. According to the liner notes, sales from the album were donated to Hearts United for Animals.
Reception
Writing for AllMusic, Christopher Monger described the album as "comfort food with all the trimmings" and that each track was "lovingly crafted, astronomically inoffensive, and wine-drunk silly and sincere". Comparing the album to the holiday-themed releases of Franks' peers, he concluded it was a "testimony to Franks' laid-back demeanor and subtle humor that an entire record of original holiday songs can complement a snowy December day rather than accentuate its forced seasonal cheer".Personnel
- Michael Franks – vocals
- Charles Blenzig – keyboards, acoustic piano, percussion, sequencing
- Jay Azzolina – guitars
- Romero Lubambo – guitars
- Jay Anderson – double bass
- Billy Kilson – drums
- Café – percussion
- Chris Hunter – saxophones, flute
- Alex Sipiagin – trumpet, flugelhorn
- John [Clark (musician)|John Clark] – French horn
- Veronica Nunn – backing vocals, vocals
Production
- John Rosenberg – executive producer
- Charles Blenzig – producer, arrangements
- Michael Franks – producer, photography
- Scott Petito – engineer, mixing
- Megan Denver – art direction, design
- Dion Ogust – portraits