The Night Before Christmas - A Musical Fantasy by Sounds Of Blackness - VitaMusik

ALBUM

Capitalizing on the unexpected success of the group's debut album, The Evolution of Gospel, Sounds of Blackness delivered The Night Before Christmas in late 1992, just in time for the holiday season. It's fairly safe to consider this a rushed project. Sounds of Blackness were still riding high on the success of singles like "Optimistic" and "Testify" at the time, and, if anything, this album kept the group in the spotlight for a few more months. In retrospect, there's nothing particularly amazing about this album. The group quickly treads through a number of holiday favorites, never devoting more than a couple minutes to each particular song. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were signed on as producers, which makes this album noteworthy to a certain extent, yet the dynamic duo don't deliver the sort of genius production you'd expect from them. Overall, The Night Before Christmas sounds like a half-hearted effort. And even though the group's intentions seem in place, giving the album a truly spiritual feel, the execution seems a bit too casual to be truly moving. This is one you might want to pass on until you've explored Sounds of Blackness' other '90s albums first. ~ Jason Birchmeier

1. Born In A Manger

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

2. Soul Holidays

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Composer: James Harris
Ann Bennett-nesby
Terry Lewis
Jamecia Bennett
Jimmy Wright; Composer
Lyricist: Jimmy Wright
James Harris
Terry Lewis
Jamecia Bennett
Ann Bennett-nesby; Composer
Producer: Terry Lewis
Bradley Yost
Carrie Harrington
Jimmy Jam; Production
Composer Lyricist: Terry Lewis
James Harris
Jimmy Wright
Ann Bennett-nesby
Jamecia Bennett; Other

3. It's Christmas Time

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Jamecia Bennett
Ann Bennett-nesby
James Quenton Wright; Composer
Lyricist: Jamecia Bennett
Ann Bennett-nesby
James Quenton Wright; Composer
Producer: Jimmy Jam
Terry Lewis; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: James Quenton Wright
Ann Bennett-nesby
Jamecia Bennett; Other

4. Away In A Manger

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

5. O'Come All Ye Faithful

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

6. O'Holy Night

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

7. Peace On Earth For Everyone

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Carrie Harrington; Composer
Lyricist: Carrie Harrington; Composer
Producer: Carrie Harrington
Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Carrie Harrington; Other

8. Children Go

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

9. Santa's Comin' To Town

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: J. Fred Coots
Adam Willard
Andy Stamets
John Reis
Paul O'beirne
Peter Reichert; Composer
Author: Haven Gillespie; Production
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production

10. Dance, Chitlins, Dance

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

11. Holiday Love

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

12. Santa Won't You Come By?

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

13. The Jolly One's Here

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

14. Dash Away All/Reindeer Revolt

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

15. Give Us A Chance

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

16. Santa Watch Yo' Step

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

17. Why Don't You Believe In Me?

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

18. Merry Christmas To The World

by Sounds Of Blackness

Primary Artist: Sounds Of Blackness; Main Performer
Performer: Gary Hines; Performer
Composer: Gary Hines; Composer
Lyricist: Gary Hines; Composer
Producer: Gary Hines; Production
Recording Arrangement: Gary Hines; Production
Composer Lyricist: Gary Hines; Other

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

18 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

1 hour, 2 minutes and 3 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 3000x3000 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

13/18 tracks have lyrics

Synchronized Lyrics

Only 1/18 tracks has synced lyrics

Genres

Ambient, New Age, Comedy, Other, Holiday, Jazz, Christian, CCM, R&B, Soul, Gospel, Christmas, Contemporary Gospel, Holiday Music, Urban, Folk, Traditional Gospel

Label

A&M

Music Distribution Service

UMG Global

Country

United States

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Oct 19, 1992

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

731454900027