Albert Hammond is one of popular music’s greatest songwriters and performers. He has achieved solo success with singles like “It Never Rains in Southern California” and “The Free Electric Band” and written songs for the likes of Whitney Houston (“One Moment in Time”) and Tina Turner (“I Don’t Wanna Lose You”). Although he has written and performed Christmas music in the past (1989’s “Under the Christmas Tree”), he has never released a holiday album in his 50 plus year career until now. “Christmas” is Albert’s way of sharing all the goodness that the holiday season brings. “I am grateful, as I am sure you are, that every year we have this time to remember the hope and joy in all of that. My prayer is that we can hold these things through more of our days as we live together and, day by day, change the world, too.”

“Christmas” sparkles with reinventions of well-loved traditional and contemporary holiday songs (with a new take on his own “Under the Christmas Tree”) decked out in lovingly conceived arrangements with a crisp-as-winter-air production. Yuletide surprises include a naturalistic approach to Boney M.’s “Mary’s Boy Child” (complete with children’s chorus), a busking “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” and a jolly medley of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/ The Hokey Pokey” that, with a little jig takes listeners (and the most famous reindeer of all) to new heights “Christmas” is sure to defeat the “bah-humbug!” of the same old songs and reinvigorate the spirit with 15 new classics all wrapped up in an album that is sure to become a new tradition in your winter wonderland.