Maps of Music

Wrapped in Red (2013)

Where the lyrics of Wrapped in Red take you, and where it was really made.

Clarkson's first Christmas album was made with a producer who was raised in the Jewish faith and was unfamiliar with Christmas songs when he agreed to produce it.

Key places

Basic tracks at Kurstin's Echo Studio (2013)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The basic instrumental tracks for the album were recorded at Kurstin's Echo Studio in Los Angeles. The point marks the city, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Orchestral sessions at EastWest Studios (2013)

Recording site EastWest Studios — Orchestral sessions for the album were recorded at EastWest Studios in Hollywood. The orchestral parts were added to the album's songs in this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Vocals at The Barn in Nashville (2013)

Recording site The Barn — The album's vocals were recorded at The Barn studio in Nashville. Clarkson's vocal tracks were recorded at this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Wrapped in Red: Kelly Clarkson's first Christmas album and sixth studio album
• Released 25 October 2013 by RCA Records; North American release followed on 29 October 2013
• Clarkson's only record released solely by RCA
• Produced across the whole album by Greg Kurstin
• Sixteen tracks: five originals co-written by Clarkson and eleven covers of Christmas standards and carols
• Two duets, with Ronnie Dunn and with Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood
• Follow-up to the greatest hits album Greatest Hits – Chapter One and the EP The Smoakstack Sessions Vol. 2

Background

• Clarkson had wanted to record a Christmas album for years, partly to escape constant questions about her genre
• Talks began in December 2012, a month after Greatest Hits – Chapter One came out
• Clarkson chose Kurstin, her collaborator on Stronger and Greatest Hits – Chapter One, to produce the entire album
• Kurstin was raised in the Jewish faith and was unfamiliar with Christmas songs, but agreed to produce the project
• It was the second Clarkson studio album with a single producer, after My December (2007), which David Kahne produced alone
• It was the fourth full studio album Kurstin produced alone, after records by Lily Allen, Sia, and The Shins

Recording

• Basic instrumental tracks were recorded at Kurstin's Echo Studio in Los Angeles
• Orchestral sessions were recorded at EastWest Studios in Hollywood, and vocals at The Barn in Nashville
• Sessions began in May 2013 and continued through the summer, starting with 'White Christmas'
• Kurstin used a Mellotron and a Chamberlin, recorded from a distance to imitate the Wall of Sound technique
• Clarkson sang all the background vocals herself
• Session players included James Gadson, Kevin Dukes, Roy McCurdy, and Bill Withers, aiming at a Memphis soul sound

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born Kelly Brianne Clarkson on April 24, 1982, in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in Burleson, Texas.
• Won the first season of American Idol in 2002 and signed with RCA Records.
• Debut single "A Moment Like This" became the best-selling single of 2002 in the United States.
• Debut album Thankful (2003) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Breakaway (2004) became her most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.
• Singles "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You" achieved major chart success; "Because of You" became her biggest single worldwide.
• Stronger (2011) won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2013 ceremony.
• Wrapped in Red (2013) became the best-selling holiday album of the year.
• Signed with Atlantic Records in 2015 and released Meaning of Life (2017), When Christmas Comes Around... (2021), and Chemistry (2023).
• Coached The Voice for multiple seasons and hosted The Kelly Clarkson Show from 2019.
• Has sold over 82 million records worldwide and received three Grammy Awards.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three and a half out of five stars
• Erlewine called the uptempo arrangements and Clarkson's vocals 'bold and brassy'
• He said the mid-tempo arrangements were 'even more alluring'
• He wrote that Clarkson sounded like the strongest element in the mix
• Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani gave a similar rating
• Cinquemani wrote that the album largely offers a respite from the pop-rock template of her earlier records
• NPR's Ken Tucker called the album a 'glossy but heartfelt work'
• Matt Casarino of PopMatters gave a generally favorable review
• Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe gave a favorable review and especially praised 'Underneath the Tree'
• Metacritic gave an average score of 73 based on 6 reviews, higher than any other Clarkson album

Reappraisal

• Six years later, Cinquemani ranked it among the 21 Best Christmas Albums of the 21st Century and called it the best Christmas album of the century so far, citing its five original songs
• Slate's Chris Klimek named it the best of 2013's new Christmas records, noting its vintage sound
• Klimek also said the five original tracks had reasonable odds of staying in the yuletide rotation five years on
• The New York Times' Jon Caramanica wrote that Clarkson was very likely the only pop singer able to create a modern holiday classic

Records

• Debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 3 with 70,000 copies in its first week
• Topped the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart
• Stayed in the top ten of both charts for nine consecutive weeks
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on 5 December 2013
• Became the best-selling Christmas release of 2013 in the United States, with over 763,000 copies
• Second best-selling Christmas album of 2013 in Canada, with 67,000 copies
• Reached number 65 on the UK Albums Chart and number 82 on ARIA at debut
• Sold 942,000 copies in the US as of September 2017

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• 'White Christmas' was the first song recorded for the album, in the sessions that began in May 2013.
• A red LP pressing by United Record Pressing followed the CD on 25 November 2013, the first time a Clarkson album came out on vinyl.
• The title track's inspiration came from a scene in the film Love Actually (2003).
• The TV special Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale was filmed at The Venetian Las Vegas and premiered on NBC on 11 December 2013.
• The NBC premiere was seen by 5.31 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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