Christmas Fantasy is the seventh studio album by American singer Anita Baker. It was released on October 4, 2005, by Blue Note Records. Her first and only Christmas album, it was produced by Baker along with Barry Eastmond, featuring three original songs and six cover versions of Christmas standards and carols. Christmas Fantasy peaked at number 120 on the US Billboard 200, and number 17 on the Top Holiday Albums and remains her last album to date.
| Christmas Fantasy | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 4, 2005 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:59 | |||
| Label | Blue Note | |||
| Producer |
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| Anita Baker chronology | ||||
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Background
editChristmas Fantasy was recorded in the summer of 2005.[1] For the album, Baker performed several classic Christmas songs such as "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "O Come All Ye Faithful", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "Christmas Time Is Here". She also recorded "Frosty's Rag", a re-imagined version of "Frosty the Snowman", a rendition of the Broadway Holiday song "My Favorite Things" and three original compositions, including "Moonlight Sleighride", "Family of Man" and "Christmas Fantasy".[1]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Gigwise | [3] |
| The Guardian | [4] |
Caroline Sullivan, writing for The Guardian, found that Baker's "first Christmas album is exactly the ticket for that pre-coma moment late on December 25, when all you can face is something cool and easily digestible." She concluded: "With not an ounce of filler, you might even want to listen to it again, come January."[4] AllMusic editor David Jeffries remarked that "there are only nine tracks on Baker's Christmas Fantasy, but the album still clocks in at 45 minutes, with most tracks letting things comfortably develop past the five-minute mark. Part of the reason for this is the band. With George Duke, Larry Carlton, Joe Sample, the underrated Ricky Lawson, and other top-notch folk involved, it would be a shame not to let these boys play, but as much as they get to vamp, it's still Baker's album, 100 percent."[2] Paul Robinson from Gigwise wrote: "Ready to cash in, Anita and her ‘unknown’ collaborators provide what any Christmas CD provides while tucking into your turkey… ambience!!"[3]
Commercial performance
editReleased on October 4, 2005, by Blue Note Records, Christmas Fantasy peaked at number 120 on the US Billboard 200.[5] It also reached number 31 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 17 on the Top Holiday Albums.[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks produced by Anita Baker and Barry J. Eastmond.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Frosty's Rag (Frosty the Snowman)" | 2:10 | |
| 2. | "Christmas Time Is Here" | 4:38 | |
| 3. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | 5:24 | |
| 4. | "Christmas Fantasy" | 4:34 | |
| 5. | "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" | Traditional | 4:53 |
| 6. | "Moonlight Sleighride" |
| 6:15 |
| 7. | "O Come, All Ye Faithful" (with The Yellowjackets) | Traditional | 5:38 |
| 8. | "Family of Man" |
| 4:49 |
| 9. | "My Favorite Things" | 5:02 | |
| Total length: | 44:59 | ||
Personnel
editPerformers and musicians
- Anita Baker – vocals
- George Duke – acoustic piano (1, 3)
- Joe Sample – acoustic piano (2, 6, 8, 9)
- Barry J. Eastmond – Rhodes electric piano (2, 6, 9), keyboards (3, 4, 7, 8), acoustic piano (5)
- Russell Ferrante – acoustic piano (7)
- Larry Carlton – guitars (1–3, 8, 9)
- Tim May – guitars (5)
- Phil Upchurch – guitars (5)
- Nathan East – bass (1, 3, 4, 6, 8), acoustic bass (2, 9)
- Reggie Hamilton – acoustic bass (5)
- Jimmy Haslip – bass (7)
- Ricky Lawson – drums (1–6, 8, 9)
- Marcus Baylor – drums (7)
- Rafael Padilla – percussion (3, 7)
- Gene Lobianco – clarinet (1)
- Sharon Bryant – backing vocals (8)
- Tiffany Palmer – backing vocals (8)
- Carol Ricketts – backing vocals (8)
Production
- Eli Wolf – A&R
- Anita Baker – executive producer, producer
- Barry J. Eastmond – producer
- Shanieka D. Brooks – product manager
- Gordon H. Lee – art direction, design
- Adrian Buckmaster – photography
- Technical credits
- Robert Hadley – mastering
- Doug Sax – mastering
- The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California) – mastering location
- Barry J. Eastmond – engineer
- Al Schmitt – engineer, mixing (1–7)
- Bill Smith – engineer
- Michael O'Reilly – mixing (8, 9)
- Steve Genewick – assistant engineer, mix assistant (1–7)
- Jason Wormer – assistant engineer
- Peter Doris – mix assistant (8, 9)
Charts
edit| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 120 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[7] | 31 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[6] | 17 |
References
edit- 1 2 Mitchell, Gail (September 25, 2005). "Luckett Fulfills Her Destiny" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- 1 2 Jeffries, David. Christmas Fantasy > review at AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- 1 2 Robinson, Paul. "Anita Baker – 'Christmas Fantasy' (Blue Note)". Gigwise. Archived from the original on June 28, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- 1 2 Sullivan, Caroline (December 23, 2005). "Anita Baker, Christmas Fantasy". The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- 1 2 "Anita Baker Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- 1 2 "Anita Baker Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Anita Baker Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
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