The City in question in Christmas in the City is naturally New York City -- the setting of so many holiday scenes.
Lea Michele attempts to capture some of that spirit on her first Christmas album, going so far as to bring in Broadway stars Jonathan Goff and Cynthia Erivo in for duets, but the guest who truly explains the sound and feel of the album is Darren Criss, a fellow graduate of Glee.
He's not the only alumni of Glee here.
Producers Adam Anders and Peer Astrom steer Christmas in the City, making sure that it feels retro yet fresh -- a trick they pulled off time and time again on the television show.
Since Christmas in the City is designed to be a throwback to mid-20th century holiday tropes, it tends to feel a bit fussier than what showed up on TV, but tradition is where Michele thrives.
She seizes the songs and the arrangements with gusto, singing like an actor who finally landed a cherished role, and her enthusiasm gives Christmas in the City some life.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | It's the Most Wonderful Time of the YearEdward Pola, George Wyle | Lea Michele | Play | 02:33 | 5 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | Have Yourself a Merry Little ChristmasRalph Blane, Hugh Martin | Lea Michele | Play | 02:45 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 3 | Christmas in New YorkLea Michele | Lea Michele | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 4 | I'll Be Home for ChristmasKim Gannon, Walter Kent | Lea Michele | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | Do You Want to Build a Snowman?Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez | Lea Michele | Play | 03:03 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 6 | Rockin' Around the Christmas TreeJohnny Marks | Lea Michele | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 7 | Silent NightFranz Gruber | Lea Michele | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 8 | White ChristmasIrving Berlin | Lea Michele | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | Silver BellsRoy Evans, Jay Livingston | Lea Michele | Play | 02:32 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 10 | Angels We Have Heard on HighTraditional | Lea Michele | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | O Holy NightAdolphe Adam | Lea Michele | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 26 MB |
| 35 mins | 81 MB | |||||
| 35 mins | 209 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adolphe Adam | Composer |
| 2 | Adams Anders | Bass, Engineer, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Alex Anders | Engineer |
| 4 | Nikki Anders | Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Kristen Anderson-Lopez | Composer |
| 6 | Peer Astrom | Arranger, Engineer, Keyboard Programming, Percussion, Piano, Producer |
| 7 | Irving Berlin | Composer |
| 8 | Ralph Blane | Composer |
| 9 | David Bukovinszky | Cello |
| 10 | Darren Criss | Featured Artist |
| 11 | Cynthia Erivo | Featured Artist, Keyboard Programming |
| 12 | Roy Evans | Composer |
| 13 | Kim Gannon | Composer, Lyricist |
| 14 | Andreas Gidlund | Clarinet, Flute |
| 15 | Wojtek Goral | Oboe |
| 16 | Jonathan Groff | Featured Artist |
| 17 | Franz Gruber | Composer |
| 18 | Missi Hale | Vocals (Background) |
| 19 | Stuart Hawkes | Mastering |
| 20 | Walter Kent | Composer |
| 21 | Jakob Koranyi | Cello |
| 22 | Johan Landqvist | Keyboard Programming |
| 23 | Martin Landstrom | Accordion, Arranger, Bass, Keyboard Programming, Piano |
| 24 | Jay Livingston | Composer |
| 25 | Robert Lopez | Composer |
| 26 | Johnny Marks | Composer |
| 27 | Hugh Martin | Composer |
| 28 | Maria P. Marulanda | Package Design |
| 29 | Lea Michele | Composer, Liner Notes, Primary Artist |
| 30 | Daniel Migdal | Viola, Violin |
| 31 | Sebastian Nylund | Guitar |
| 32 | Karl Olandersson | Trumpet |
| 33 | Martin Östergren | Arranger |
| 34 | Edward Pola | Composer |
| 35 | Viktor Sand | Clarinet, Flute |
| 36 | Jake Shimabukuro | Ukulele |
| 37 | Stockholms Musikgymnasium Chamber Choir | Choir/Chorus |
| 38 | Helene Stureborg | Choir Conductor |
| 39 | Traditional | Composer |
| 40 | Yu Tsai | Photography |
| 41 | Nicci Wallin | Drums |
| 42 | Nicke Widén | Lap Steel Guitar |
| 43 | Magnus Wiklund | Trombone |
| 44 | George Wyle | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |