Idina Menzel - Christmas Wishes (2014) [Hi-Res]

Holiday Wishes is produced by Grammy Award-winner Walter Afanasieff (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and features such classic favorites as "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".

„Frozen opened the doors for Holiday Wishes, a seasonal album from Broadway superstar Idina Menzel. Without the 2013 Disney blockbuster, Menzel may have cut a Christmas record, but certainly Frozen's success meant that Holiday Wishes arrived to the biggest potential audience she'd ever have, so it's not a surprise the record plays it safe. Save for the presence of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which is now the closest thing to a new holiday standard, and perhaps the shoehorning of "When You Wish Upon a Star" into the Christmas theme, there are no surprises here, not in the choice of songs, not in the old-fashioned arrangements, not even in the choice of Michael Bublé as the duet partner for a de rigueur "Baby It's Cold Outside." Unsurprising though it may be, Holiday Wishes nevertheless is satisfying because producer Walter Afanasieff commits to his Christmas classicism, as does Menzel. Everything here sparkles with the gleam of freshly fallen snow: it's big, bright, and so stubbornly out of fashion that it'd never go out of style.“ (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG)

Idina Menzel, vocals
Michael Bublé, vocal (duet)
Walter Afanasieff, keyboards
Randy Waldman, piano
Dennis Budimir, guitar
Paul Jackson Jr., guitar
Kenny G, saxophone
Kent Smith, trumpet
Nathan East, bass
Vinnie Colaiuta, drums
Missi Hale, background vocals
Luke Edgemon, background vocals
Monét Owens, background vocals

Engineered by Tyler Gordon, David Reitzas, Adrian Bradford
Produced by Walter Afanasieff, Rob Mounsey