Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli & Virginia Bocelli “A Family Christmas” Album Review

A Family Christmas

Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli & Virginia Bocelli

• Genre: Holiday
• Date: 21 Oct, 2022
• Content: Not-explicit
• Region: USA
• Track(s): 13
• A Decca/Capitol Records Release; ℗ 2022 Andrea & Matteo Bocelli, under exclusive licence to Universal Music Operations Ltd

For more than 25 years, Andrea Bocelli’s voice has remained vibrant. In “A Family Christmas,” Matteo and Virginia Bocelli, the legendary singer’s two children, sing together for the first time on record. You’ll see that this isn’t your typical Christmas album. The musician who has devoted his entire career to classical and pop crossover manages to establish the ideal ambiance for celebrations and family gatherings by the fire.

English classics like Away in a Manger, First Noel, Joy to the World, as well as songs in other languages including Feliz Navidad, Buon natale, and Il giorno più speciale, are among the sacred and traditional Christmas songs included in the collection. The program has a good balance of solos, duets, and trios, and the arrangements and choir textures are excellent. Every vocalist gets an opportunity to shine.

Album Cover Art

A happy Andrea is home with his two kids, Matteo and Virginia, both of them around him, surrounded by the full ambience of the holidays; from, the lit candles to the wrapped presents to the Christmas tree and decor to the fireplace, down to even their choices of attire. Everything about the album art just screams goodness and cheer and A Family Christmas.

Tracks and Features

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” by Matteo and Virginia serves as the album’s first of 13 tracks. The song depicts the moment when the angels first visited the shepherds to tell them that Jesus had been born, and it follows the plot until the Christ is visited. The lyrical composition by the trio set against grand piano chords is amazingly enhanced by the background choral choir voices, which also lend edge and rhythm. The song “Away in a Manger” opens with Virginia singing the verses to a sonorous accompaniment of violin, guitar, and piano chords. As the modulations progress, Andrea and Matteo can be heard blending nicely to create this stunning hymn.

The somber beginning to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” ushers in Andrea as he melodically sings and serenades the listeners. The track’s incredible composition receives a ton of support from the piano and violin chords, which also give it a ballad-like feel. The lyrics, which Andrea sings and delivers sonorously, have themes of love, friendship, and relationship as well as those of Christmas and sharing. Virginia’s vocals are heard in the first few seconds of “Over the Rainbow” while Andrea provides background support. The duo gives a fantastic performance. The orchestral-like rendition and violin/piano chords evoke strong emotions.

An elegant Piano and violin chord prelude opens “Buon Natale.” When Andrea’s vocals enter, the beat arrangement alters and takes on a Latina feel. Even the vocalist’s excellent whistling makes the song such a lovely listen. The popular Christmas hymn “Joy to the world” is sung by the vocalist before an orchestral introduction. There are also piano and violin chords audible. Virginia and Matteo’s background vocals, along with the background vocals themselves, assist the lead singer as they vocally maneuver and amazingly work together to create an awesome rendition of the hymn.

The album comes to a close with “I’ll be home for Christmas.” It’s a nice tune; it’s calm, melodious, and pleasant. The version is excellent, as are Andrea’s vocals. The track sequencing is boosted by the piano/violin chords, which work wonderfully with the composition and beat arrangement. The song is fantastic to listen to and a great way to wrap up the melodic and delightful listening adventure.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	TIME
1	Do You Hear What I Hear?	2:59
2	Away In A Manger	2:37
3	Feliz Navidad	1:59
4	The First Noël	4:02
5	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas	4:03
6	Over The Rainbow	2:29
7	Buon Natale	3:06
8	Joy To The World	3:03
9	The Greatest Gift	4:01
10	When Christmas Comes To Town	3:39
11	Happy Xmas (War Is Over)	3:32
12	Il Giorno Più Speciale	3:15
13	I‘ll Be Home For Christmas	3:09

Album Theme

Sharing the joys and merry of the holidays that come with the presence of family.

Production Credits

The Christmas album was produced by composer and multi-Grammy and Academy Award nominee, Stephan Moccio.

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