The Gift is the twenty-seventh studio album and a holiday album by country music singer Kenny Rogers. It was released in 1996 via Magnatone Records. The album features a rendition of "Mary, Did You Know?" featuring Wynonna Judd. This version of the song charted at No. 55 on Hot Country Songs in 1997.[1]
| The Gift | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1996 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Christmas, country | |||
| Length | 44:29 | |||
| Label | Magnatone | |||
| Producer | Brent Maher, Jim McKell | |||
| Kenny Rogers chronology | ||||
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| Rogers' Christmas chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
editStephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that "it does suffer from uneven material and the occasional indifferent performance. There are enough good moments here to make it worthwhile for hardcore Kenny fans, but not enough to make it of interest to less dedicated listeners."[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mary, Did You Know?" (featuring Wynonna Judd[3]) | Buddy Greene, Mark Lowry | 3:53 |
| 2. | "A Soldier's King" | Kenny Horton, John Barlow Jarvis | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Pretty Little Baby Child" (featuring The Katinas[3]) | Jarvis, Bill Rice, Sharon Rice | 3:48 |
| 4. | "What a Wonderful Beginning" | Austin Cunningham, Allen Shamblin | 3:51 |
| 5. | "It's the Messiah" | Don Potter | 3:51 |
| 6. | "I Trust You" | Skip Ewing, Don Schlitz | 2:38 |
| 7. | "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" (featuring GLAD[3]) | Robert MacGimsey; arr. and adapt. by Larry Cansler | 2:54 |
| 8. | "The Chosen One Montage" ("The Chosen One", "Away in a Manger", "O Holy Night", "Silent Night", "The First Noel", "We Three Kings", & "Joy to the World") | Various writers:
| 15:43 |
| 9. | "Til the Season Comes Around Again" | Randy Goodrum, Jarvis | 3:55 |
Personnel
editCompiled from The Gift liner notes.[3]
Musicians
edit- Kenny Rogers – lead vocals
- Bobby Ogdin – keyboards (1–4, 6, 9), acoustic piano (5)
- Eugene Golden – keyboards (7)
- Steve Glassmeyer – keyboards (8)
- Warren Hartman – keyboards (8), acoustic piano (8), arrangements (8)
- Don Potter – acoustic guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
- Larry Byrom – electric guitar (3, 9)
- Dax Browning – electric guitar (6)
- Billy Panda – acoustic guitar (8)
- Michael Rhodes – bass (1)
- Duncan Mullins – bass (2–6, 9)
- Bob Burns – bass (8)
- Paul Leim – drums (1–4, 8, 9)
- Eddie Bayers – drums (5, 6)
- Farrell Morris – percussion (1–5, 8)
- Bergen White – orchestral arrangements (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), choral arrangements (8)
- Larry Cansler – arrangements (7)
- The Nashville String Machine – strings (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9)
- Cynthia Wyatt – harp (4, 8, 9)
- Bob Mason – cello (6)
- Jim Grosjean – viola (6)
- Carl Gorodetzky – string contractor (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), violin (6)
- Pamela Sixfin – violin (6)
- Tom McAninch – French horn (2, 8, 9)
- Bobby Taylor – oboe (8), French horn (8)
- Jim Horn – bass flute (8), recorder (8)
- Dennis Good – trombone (8)
- Barry Green – trombone (8)
- Chris McDonald – trombone (8)
- Mike Haynes – trumpet (8)
- Don Sheffield – trumpet (8)
- George Tidwell – trumpet (8)
- Wynonna Judd – duet vocal (1)
- The Katinas – guest vocals (3)
- Austin Cunningham – backing vocals (4)
- Lona Heid – backing vocals (4, 6)
- Glad – duet vocals (7)
- Brandon Conger – children's dialogue (8)
- Megan Dockery – children's choir (8), children's dialogue (8)
- Michael Jones – children's choir (8)
- Kelly Stewart – children's choir (8)
- Sarah Valley – children's dialogue (8)
- Choir on "A Soldier's King", "What a Wonderful Beginning", "It's the Messiah", and "The Chosen One Montage" – Lisa Cochran, Michael Eldred, James Ferguson, Stephanie Hall, Mark Ivey, Marabeth Jordan, Jana King, Ellen Musik, Louis Nunley, Guy Penrod, Lisa Silver and Dennis Wilson
Production
edit- Brent Maher – producer, recording (1–6 & 9), mixing (1–6 & 9)
- Jim McKell – producer, recording, (1–6 & 9), mix assistant (1–6 & 9), mixing (7)
- Jan Greenfield – production assistant
- Kevin Myers – recording (7)
- Frank Green – additional engineer
- Mills Logan – additional engineer
- Paul Skaife – additional engineer, assistant engineer
- Don Cobb – digital editing
- Carlos Grier – digital editing
- Mills Logan – engineering
- Denny Purcell – mastering
- Carden & Cherry, Inc. – art direction
- Matthew Barnes – photography
- Don Mantooth – photography
- Kenny Rogers – liner notes
Studios
- Recorded at Creative Recording, Inc. (Nashville, Tennessee) and 21st Street Recording (Purcellville, Virginia).
- Mixed at Creative Recording, Inc.
- Mastered at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, Tennessee).
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[4] | 10 |
| US Billboard 200[5] | 63 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[6] | 9 |
References
edit- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2012). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2012. Record Research, Inc. pp. 288–290. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Gift review". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d The Gift (CD insert). Kenny Rogers. Magnatone Records. 1996. 108-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2021.