What a Night! A Christmas Album


What a Night! A Christmas Album, by American singer, pianist and bandleader Connick Jr., was released on November 4, 2008., being his third Christmas album, since 1993's When My Heart Finds Christmas and 2003's Harry for the Holidays. The album consists of new recordings of Christmas classics, and new songs written by Connick.
The first public mentioning of recording the album, came in an interview in The Times-Picayune in June 2008.
The album was first called Christmas Day, but the title was changed in September 2008, to What a Night! A Christmas Album.
The track "Song for the Hopeful", is a duet with Kim Burrell. The song was written by Connick for the 2008 television film Living Proof. Burell is also featured on "Let There Be Peace On Earth".
Connick has three daughters with his wife Jill Goodacre, and their middle daughter Sarah Kate, sings a duet with him on the track "Winter Wonderland".
When the track list was first announced, the songs "Christmas Time is Here" and "Trinity", was part of the album. In early October, those two tracks were replaced with two new tracks: "Christmas Day", and an instrumental version of Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".

Track listing

  1. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" – 3:28
  2. "What a Night!" – 3:24
  3. "Christmas Day" – 3:24
  4. "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" – 4:05
  5. "Please Come Home for Christmas" – 4:26
  6. "O Come All Ye Faithful" – 4:15
  7. "Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairies" – 2:46
  8. "Let There Be Peace On Earth" – 3:30 – feat. Kim Burrell
  9. "Winter Wonderland" – 3:50 – feat. Kate Connick
  10. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" – 3:30
  11. "Santariffic" – 3:58 – feat. Lucien Barbarin
  12. "Jingle Bells" – 5:28
  13. "Zat You Santa Claus" – 3:40
  14. "We Three Kings" – 4:45
  15. "Song for the Hopeful" – 4:35 – feat. Kim Burrell

iTunes bonus track

  2. "Auld Lang Syne" – 2:16
  3. Digital Booklet

Barnes & Noble Exclusive Version

  2. "Deck the Halls" – 2:57
  3. "Christmas Time is Here" – 5:06
  4. "O Christmas Tree" – 3:22
  5. Holiday interview with Harry
  6. Photo gallery
  7. "(It Must Have Been) Ol’ Santa Claus"
  8. "I Pray on Christmas"
  9. "The Happy Elf" *
also found on the Harry for the Holidays DVD

Personnel

Arrangement by Harry Connick Jr.

Tour

A Holiday Celebration Tour 2008, is a concert tour with his big band to support the album. The tour was confirmed by the official Harry Connick Jr. website in September 2008.
One of their stops included the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.