This Is (Callea's) Christmas

Gift giving just got easier this Christmas with news of a long awaited Christmas album by Anthony Callea to be released in November. 

Titled  'This Is Christmas'  the album includes many of the most requested songs he has performed over the past 10 years at the Vision Australia Carols By Candlelight, a must for all Callea fans and lovers of the festival season this Christmas.  The official press release, and track list  can be read below the pictured cover art.

Anthony Callea one of Australia’s finest voices, is thrilled to reveal that he will release a brand new Christmas album, ‘This Is Christmas’, on November 8, 2013.

Anthony returns to the studio with producer and long-time friend John Foreman along with an incredible 55 piece orchestra to record this much anticipated new Christmas album; The follow-up to Anthony’s first album on ABC Music, ‘THIRTY’, which was released in April this year and achieved a No.18 ARIA Album Chart debut. ‘This Is Christmas’ will feature twelve iconic Christmas songs, from ‘The First Noel’, to ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day’.

Featuring guest vocalist Tim Campbell on ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’, the esteemed National Boys Choir on ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘O Holy Night’ and one of the most beautiful acapella versions of ‘Amazing Grace’ you’ll hear, ‘This Is Christmas’ is a stunning collection of beautifully arranged tracks that are especially close to Anthony’s heart. The release of ‘This Is Christmas’ in 2013 is a fitting occasion, as this year marks the tenth consecutive year of Anthony’s involvement with Melbourne’s Carols by Candlelight and working relationship with Musical Director John Foreman, who produced the record breaking and multi-platinum selling single ‘The Prayer’.

Anthony says “Christmas truly is my favourite time of the year and I can’t describe how excited I am to be releasing ‘This Is Christmas’. It’s been a long time coming and to be able to create this album with John Foreman along with a talented orchestra, The National Boys Choir and with musicians who are the finest in the country, I couldn’t be more proud and overjoyed about this album. I sincerely hope this album captures the spirit and meaning of Christmas for all and will live on in many homes for Christmases to come.”


‘THIS IS CHRISTMAS’  Track listing
1. Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day
2. The First Noel
3. Christmas Baby, Please Come Home
4. Silent Night (feat: Stuart Fraser on Guitar)
5. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
6. Ave Maria (feat: The National Boys Choir)
7. Do You Hear What I Hear?
8. Mary Did You Know
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (feat: Tim Campbell)
10. Amazing Grace (feat: Susie Ahern, Michelle Serrett, Rod Davies
11. O Holy Night (feat: The National Boys Choir12. Note To God

Anthony Callea has past covered

Cameron Adams
April 24, 2013

TURNING 30 may mean earning a few wrinkles, but for Anthony Callea it also means an awareness that comes with age.
  
His new album, Thirty, not only celebrates his milestone birthday, but reaching a point where he can make a record on his terms.

It has covers he grew up singing - Oleta Adams' Get Here, Luther Vandross' Dance With My Father, Cheap Trick's The Flame, Backstreet Boys' The Perfect Fan, Will Young's Leave Right Now and Whitney & Mariah's When You Believe.

Throw in a Michael Bolton song and two Italian covers, and it's a major shift from Callea's last release, a dance pop EP.

"I threw the concept of being cool out of the window making this record," Callea says.

"With age, you know your strengths and weaknesses. I didn't set out to make a record that's commercially cool or worry about what people think I should do. I did what I wanted. Yes, there's some ballads on there, and some songs in Italian, but it's not just an album full of The Prayer again; I won't do that again, it's been done."

The album opts for vocal emotion over sonic perfection, as well as live strings.

"People have already said, 'Oh you've left commercial dance pop behind for this', but I don't regret anything," Callea says.

"I paid for that (dance) EP myself. I'm not going to throw thousands of dollars away on something I didn't feel was right. I had to get it out of my system.

"With this album, when you love a song and it means something to you, it's not difficult. There were no rules, no fighting. I wasn't worried about getting songs on radio or which demographic they were for."

Callea has included two originals, My All and I'll Be the One. Both were written four years ago near the start of his relationship with actor and singer Tim Campbell.

"The premise of My All is someone coming into your life and giving love a second chance. The first time I recorded I'll Be the One a few years ago, I played it to Tim and he started crying. When I played him the new version for this album, he bawled as well. I'm not good with emotion. I didn't know what to do. Do I hand him a tissue? I can communicate much better in song than in a conversation. But that's a beautiful sign when someone so close to you has that reaction to a song you wrote."

The video for My All also features a cameo from Campbell, now starring in House Husbands. "I said, 'It's written about you, why can't you be in the clip?'," Callea says. "It's a simple video, it's a really beautiful clip that captures what the song is about. And it's made a few people who've already seen it cry - for the right reasons - and that's the best compliment."

Thirty (ABC/Universal), out tomorrow.

ORIGINAL HERE

Callea signs with ABC

SEE ONLINE ARTICLE HERE

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