NEIL DIAMOND ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS OUT TODAY
ALL-NEW RECORDINGS OF HOLIDAY FAVOURITES AND ORIGINAL SONGS
PRODUCED BY DON WAS AND JACKNIFE LEE
28 OCTOBER 2016 (Toronto, ON) - Capitol/Universal Music Canada, the country's leading music company, announces the release today of Acoustic Christmas, a new holiday collection from Neil Diamond, with a vinyl version arriving November 18. Acoustic Christmas features new recordings of holiday classics and original tracks by Diamond. Watch Neil and listen to snippets from the album below:
“With Acoustic Christmas, Neil has created a classic holiday album that brims with his singular artistry and an intimate warmth that’s so perfectly suited to these timeless Christmas songs,” says Capitol Music Group Chairman & CEO Steve Barnett. “This a great present for the upcoming holiday season, from Neil to all of us.”
This new collection was produced by Don Was (Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) and Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M.), the pair behind Diamond’s 2014 acclaimed Melody Road.
“One need look no further than Neil's earliest hits to know that something special happens when you set his voice in the middle of a few acoustic guitars: the vibrant expression that lives in the nuances of Neil's singing moves to the forefront and creates a profoundly intimate experience,” says Was. “The vibe in the studio seems inspired by the folk scene of Neil’s early years in Greenwich Village. We had a stellar cast of musicians sitting around in a circle of microphones, eclectic acoustic instruments and Christmas lights! We had a wonderful time making this record and the good vibes permeate every track.”
“He's got such a warm voice, it is like gravy or hot chocolate,” adds Lee. “The moments that worked so well during those sessions were when Neil sat with us and played the songs on the sofa, with his acoustic guitar, and we'd all pick up instruments that were lying about and join in,” says Lee of the album’s stripped-down format. “It was like traditional holiday gathering, when small family groups would sing together at home.”
Acoustic Christmas Track Listing
O HOLY NIGHT
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR
CHRISTMAS PRAYERS
HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING
MARY’S BOY CHILD
SILENT NIGHT
GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN
CHILDREN GO WHERE I SEND THEE
CHRISTMAS IN KILLARNEY
THE CHRISTMAS MEDLEY:
IT’S ALMOST DAY
MAKE A HAPPY SONG
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS
About Neil Diamond
Throughout an illustrious and wide-ranging musical career, Neil Diamond has sold over 125 million albums worldwide and has charted 37 Top 40 singles and 16 Top 10 albums both in the U.S. and internationally. A Grammy Award-winning artist, Diamond is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honours bestowed upon songwriters. Diamond’s many other achievements include a Golden Globe Award, 13 Grammy nominations and 2009’s NARAS’s MusiCares Person of the Year award. In 2011, Diamond received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime of contributions to American culture.