This Is the Time: The Christmas Album

Performer: Michael Bolton
Artist: Wynonna; Placido Domingo
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: THIS IS THE TIME is also available in a 3-CD set with SNOWFALL and WHEN MY HEART FINDS CHRISTMAS. Personnel includes: Michael Bolton, Placido Domingo, Wynonna (vocals); Johnny Mandel (orchestra conductor); Ronn Huff (string conductor); Dan Shea, Walter Afanasieff (various instruments); Keith Thomas (guitar, piano); Dan Huff, Jerry McPherson, Dean Parks (guitar); Sam Bush (violin); Marc Russo (tenor saxophone); Ian Underwood (piano); Randy Kerber (electric piano); Phil Madeira (Hammond B-3 organ); Byron House (bass); Claytoven Richardson, Kitty Beethoven, Sandy Griffith, Jeanie Tracy, Conesha Owens, Darlene Coleman, Tina Gibson, Terrance Kelly, Brenda Roy, Anna Lisa Patterson, Cynthia Green, Andre Hughes, Nicolas Bearde, Larry Batiste, Miflin "Dooney" Jones, Ada Dyer, Chris Rodriguez, Audrey Wheeler (background vocals); Nashville String Machine. Producers include: Walter Afanasieff, Michael Bolton, Johnny Mandel, David Foster, Keith Thomas. Engineers include: Dana Jon Chappelle, Dave Reitzas, David Gleeson. These are the salient facts. The singer is Michael Bolton: chiseled cheekbones, superhuman lung power, worldwide superstardom. The holiday is Christmas: Santa Claus, mistletoe, peace on earth. The songs are holiday standards that go back farther than Bolton's hairline: "Silent Night," " Joy To The World," "White Christmas" and others. If any of the above appeal to you, THIS IS THE TIME is likely to prick up your ears. If all of the above appeal to you, this album is a winter wish come true. Bolton covers all the yuletide bases on THIS IS THE TIME. There's a rocking version of "Santa Claus Is Coming Town," a solemn reading of "O Holy Night," there's even a duet with opera deity Placido Domingo on "Ave Maria" that finds Bolton testing his operatic chops alongside the master. In addition to the eight evergreens essayed by Bolton, there are two original songs co-authored by the singer (one with hitmaker Diane Warren). Both tunes sound very much at home nestled among these Christmas classics. Bolton fans could hardly dream of a better stocking stuffer.

Making women swoon with his good looks and soulful voice, Bolton was a major pop star in the 1980s and '90s, winning Grammys and selling millions of records. In the '70s, Bolton was the singer for the hard rock band Blackjack, which also featured future members of Kiss and the Pat Travers Band, but he didn't break through until going solo. His outsized pop versions of soul hits like "Dock of the Bay" scored big with boomers and youngsters alike.

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