The Season for Miracles

1970 studio album by The Miracles

Studio album by

The Miracles

Released

November 23, 1970 (1970-11-23)

Genre

Soul, Christmas

Length

37:41

Language

English

Label

Tamla

The Miracles chronology

A Pocket Full of Miracles
(1970)

The Season for Miracles
(1970)

One Dozen Roses
(1971)

The Season for Miracles is a 1970 studio album by American soul group The Miracles. The Christmas album has received positive reviews and has been a strong seller for Motown, being reissued on compact disc in 1992.^[1]

Reception

Critical reception

A brief review in Billboard recommended this release as being a "joyous" and "delightful holiday package".^[2] The editors of AllMusic Guide scored this album three out of five stars, but do not have a detailed review.^[3] The publication does review the 1973 various artists compilation A Motown Christmas, which includes tracks from this album and critic Jason Ankeny calls that an "outstanding sampler" of music that includes a "beautifully soulful vibe".^[4] In 2011's The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, this album received three out of five stars.^[5]

Sales

Although this release did not sell well enough to chart,^[6] a 1987 review of the best-selling Christmas albums by Ebony notes that this is one of the best-selling from Motown.^[7]

Track listing

"Deck the Halls"/"Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella" (traditional) – 4:03
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (traditional) – 3:06
"I Can Tell When Christmas Is Near" (Stevie Wonder) – 3:02
"I Believe in Christmas Eve" (Smokey Robinson) – 2:03
"The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé and Robert Wells) – 3:27
"Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) – 2:47
"It's Christmas Time" (Wonder) – 3:27
"Go Tell It on the Mountain" (John Wesley Work Jr. and traditional) – 3:45
"Away in a Manger"/"Coventry Carol" (William James Kirkpatrick / traditional) – 2:23
"Peace on Earth (Good Will Toward Men)" (A. Roach) – 3:03
"The Day That Love Began" (Deborah Miller and Ron Miller) – 3:53
"A Child Is Waiting" (Joe Hinton and Patti Jerome) – 2:42

Personnel

The Miracles

Warren "Pete" Moore – bass vocals
Claudette Rogers Robinson – vocals
Smokey Robinson – lead vocals
Bobby Rogers – tenor vocals
Marv Tarplin – vocals
Ronnie White – baritone vocals

Additional personnel

Jim Hendin – photography
Wade Marcus – arrangement on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
Curtis McNair – artwork, design
Jimmy Roach – arrangement on "Deck the Halls"/"Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella", "Go Tell It on the Mountain", "Away in a Manger"/"Coventry Carol", and "Peace on Earth (Good Will Toward Men)"
Tom Schlesinger – graphic supervision
David Van De Pitte – arrangement

References

^ McAdams, Janice (July 11, 1992). "Dynamic Diva: Buzz Builds On Mary Blige". The Rhythm and the Blues. Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 51. p. 17. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "Billboard Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 51. December 19, 1970. p. 50. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – Season for Miracles review". AllMusic Guide.
^ Ankney, Jason. "Various Artists – A Motown Christmas review". AllMusic Guide.
^ Colin Larkin, ed. (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
^ White, Adam (December 18, 1982). "Motown's Curious Yule Offering". Black. Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 50. p. 54. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "Sound Off: The Best in Recorded Music". Ebony. Vol. 43, no. 2. December 1987. p. 18B. ISSN 0012-9011.