Norah Jones prepped her first holiday album, I Dream Of Christmas, which comes out through Blue Note Records on October 15. Today, the acclaimed singer-songwriter released its lead single and opening track “Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones).”
Jones tapped Leon Michaels to produce the 13-track set. Norah is joined on the album by Michaels on various instruments including saxophone, flute and percussion, drummer Brian Blade, bassists Tony Scherr and Nick Movshon, pedal steel guitarist Russ Pahl, cellist Marika Hughes, trumpeter Dave Guy and trombonist Raymond Mason.
I Dream Of Christmas features a mix of originals and beloved holiday songs such as “Blue Christmas,” “Run Rudolph Run,” “Christmas Time Is Here” and “Winter Wonderland.” Norah penned four songs for the collection including “Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)” and co-wrote two others with Michaels.
“I’ve always loved Christmas music but never had the inclination to make a holiday album until now,” explained Jones in a press release. “Last year I found myself listening to James Brown’s Funky Christmas and Elvis’s Christmas Album on Sunday’s during lockdown for a sense of comfort. In January 2021, I started thinking about making a Christmas album of my own. It gave me something fun to work on and look forward to.”
Norah also discussed writing original material for I Dream Of Christmas. “When I was trying to figure out which direction to take, the original songs started popping in my head,” added Jones. “They were all about trying to find the joys of Christmas, catching that spark, that feeling of love and inclusion that I was longing for during the rest of the year.”
Stream Norah Jones’ “Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)” below:
I Dream Of Christmas Tracklist
- Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)
- Christmas Don’t Be Late
- Christmas Glow
- White Christmas
- Christmastime
- Blue Christmas
- It’s Only Christmas Once A Year
- You’re Not Alone
- Winter Wonderland
- A Holiday With You
- Run Rudolph Run
- Christmas Time Is Here
- What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
