Christmas in the Heart is the 34th studio album and first Christmas album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on October 13, 2009 by Columbia Records. The album comprises a collection of hymns, carols and popular Christmas songs. All Dylan's royalties from the sale of this album benefited the charities Feeding America in the USA, Crisis in the UK, and the World Food Programme. Dylan said that, although he was born and raisedJewish, he never felt left out of Christmas during his childhood in Minnesota. Regarding the popularity of Christmas music, he said, "... it's so worldwide and everybody can relate to it in their own way." The album opened at on Billboard's Holiday and Billboard's Folk Album Chart, on Rock Album charts and on overall album charts.
Recording
The album was recorded in a Santa Monica studio owned by Jackson Browne. In an interview published by Street News Service, journalist Bill Flanagan asked Dylan why he had performed the songs in a straightforward style, and Dylan responded: When Flanagan reported that some critics thought the album was an ironic treatment of Christmas songs, Dylan responded:
Release and promotion
Dylan released a music video for the song "Must Be Santa" directed by Nash Edgerton. In the video, Dylan and some other people are having a Christmas house party, until two of the guests start fighting and smashing things around and one of them running away. In the closing scene, we see Dylan and Santa Claus. A music video was also released for the song "Little Drummer Boy" directed by Jeff Scher, and a music video ecard was also released for the song "Must Be Santa".
Reception
At Metacritic, the album currently holds a score of 62 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. While the unexpected move by Dylan to record a Christmas album was received with skepticism at first, the outcome of the project was lauded by critics for bringing a fresh breath of air into these classics. Slant Magazine's critic Jesse Cataldo awarded the album 4 stars out of 5 and said: Se7en magazine's critic agreed, writing: The critic for Tiny Mix Tapes rated the album 4 stars out of 5, writing:
Charity project
received Dylan's royalties from sales in the USA, while two further charities, the United Nations' World Food Programme and Crisis in the UK, received royalties from overseas sales. Dylan said:
