My Gift to You [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Alexander O'Neal | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 22, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00006LHXL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,899 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. My Gift to You

2. Sleigh Ride

3. Our First Christmas

4. Remember Why (It's Christmas)

5. The Little Drummer Boy

6. The Christmas Song

7. This Christmas

8. Winter Wonderland

9. Thank You for a Good Year

10. Remember Why (It's Christmas) (Reprise)

Editorial Reviews

An instant Holiday favorite upon its release in 1988, it's now one of the most sought after Christmas albums, since it's been out of print for years. The album includes 5 songs penned by Jam & Lewis, plus 4 standards and Danny Hathaway's classic 'This Chr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Christmas classic reissued at last!, November 24, 2002

By 

Kevin O'Conner - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Gift to You (Audio CD)

After three or four years out of print, My Gift To You is finally available again - and with the original cover art restored - thanks to the folks at reissue label The Right Stuff. And it's about time, too.

Some fourteen years after its original release, My Gift To You still ranks as the best Christmas album I've ever heard. It's a fine mix of contemporary and traditional songs and arrangements, all tied together by the best vocalist that Jam & Lewis have ever worked with, Alexander O'Neal.

The Jam & Lewis-composed originals are concentrated mostly during the album's first half, with modern-day classic "My gift to you" as the opening track. The funky "Sleigh ride" (not the classic tune, but a new song) comes next, followed by the romantic "Our first Christmas" and Christmas tale "Remember why (it's Christmas)".

The album's second half consists mostly of Christmas standards. The first of these is "The little drummer boy", in a funky arrangement produced by Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy, who are probably best known for their subsequent work with En Vogue. Mel Torme's "The Christmas song" is next - this one in a more traditional arrangement (think Nat King Cole). O'Neal's version of Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" is still my favorite; every other singer's take on it seems either thin or overwrought in comparison. "Winter wonderland" (probably my favorite track on the album) is performed with full orchestra - and it swings! Another Jam & Lewis original, "Thank you for a good year", and a reprise of "Remember why" close out the album.

One of the really nice things about this reissue is the restoration of the original cover art. When Tabu switched distribution in the early '90s, the album was inexplicably given a cheesy new cover, which it was stuck with until going out of print a few years later. The Right Stuff have corrected this by bringing back the original cover, adding only a border around the edges. In fact, the newly restored cover looks slightly better than the original, which looks sort of dull in comparision.

A minor complaint: The song lyrics are no longer included in the booklet. However, the new liner notes, while a bit thin, are entertaining.

This edition's remastered sound was a happy surprise. Mastering engineer Bob Fisher deserves more than a few compliments for his work here. Rather than follow the pack and use loads of compression and limiting to make everything sound loud for the sake of loudness, he used the 24-bit processing to ensure the best possible reproduction of the original master. So, rather than sounding louder, the remaster simply sounds better - slightly warmer, with improved definition.

In short, this is still the best Christmas album ever.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jingle Bell FONK!!, December 12, 2003

By 

Flipkid (Cockeysville, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Gift to You (Audio CD)

OMG!!! I have been waiting for YEARS for this sucker to be re-issued on CD! This is, without question, hands-down, one of the best "contemporary" Christmas albums ever recorded. If the greasy funk of "Sleigh Ride" and "Little Drummer Boy" don't make you move, it's too late... you're already dead. Paired with the beautiful soul of "My Gift to You","Our First Christmas" and the other gems on this album, this is definately an "all killer, no filler" Christmas CD. (Please forgive my use of "non-Christmas-traditional" terminology in describing this CD, but this is just great MUSIC... it just "happens to be" holiday-themed music.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gift That Keeps on Giving !, December 24, 2003

By 

Armando M. Mesa (Chandler, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Gift to You (Audio CD)

One of my all-time favorite Christmas albums that I own on both vinyl and cd format. My Gift To You by Alex O'Neal has been a timeless Christmas album treasure in my household since it first appeared in 1987...Not only does the contemporary sound capture the essence of the holidays but it also has to be the album to really bring O'Neal's gifted and talented voice into many households. From the Jam & Lewis sounding productions to the big band jazz numbers to the funkiness of Sleigh Ride and the Little Drummer Boy this has to be the Christmas album that has something for everyone...O'Neal's voice is or was at it's peak and strongest form (not that he's ever lost it )...but this was the pinnacle of the powerfully and musically charged collaboration and production with the Flyte Tyme team !