Broadway's Lisa Howard (Escape to Margaritaville, It Shoulda Been You, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) will release her debut holiday album The Most Wonderful Time of the Year November 20. Pre-orders for the album, which include instant access to Howard and her Spelling Bee co-star Derrick Baskin's take on "Sleigh Ride," will be available November 13. Get an exclusive first listen to the track above.
Howard's debut holiday album, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year collects seasonal favorites both old and new, including Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You," Mame's "We Need a Little Christmas," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and more. Howard is joined by Baskin on three tracks, and Giacomo La Vita on acoustic guitar.
"Creating this Christmas album was a true partnership with Lisa," shares album producers Michael Shaieb and Brent Lord or FatLab Music. "The variety in her song selection allowed us to feature the many stylistic sides of her voice in the arrangements. We have a shorthand with each other from having worked together for many years, and producing this album was much more fun for us than it was work."
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is Howard's second solo album, following Songs of Innocence & Experience, released in 2011. She made her Broadway debut creating the role of Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, going on to appear on Broadway in South Pacific, 9 to 5, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, It Shoulda Been You, and Escape to Margaritaville. Her performance in It Shoulda Been You garnered her Drama Desk and Drama League Award nominations.
Howard will celebrate the new album with a live performance at Feinstein's/54 Below December 12 at 7 PM. She will be backed by a quartet of musicians, led by Shaieb.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is mixed and mastered by Lord, and features arrangements by Shaieb. Album artwork is by Joseph Wartnerchaney.
You can pre-order The Most Wonderful Time of the Year on iTunes and Apple Music.
Take a look at the complete track listing for The Most Wonderful Time of the Year:
1. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
2. Santa Tell Me
3. Sleigh Ride (with Derrick Baskin)
4. The House Where I Grew Up At Christmas
5. All I Want For Christmas Is You
6. I'll Be Home For Christmas/Home For The Holidays
7. Christmas Wrapping (with Derrick Baskin)
8. We Need A Little Christmas
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
10. Last Christmas
11. River
12. Under TheMistletoe (with Derrick Baskin)
13. What Christmas Means To Me
14. Holly Jolly Christmas/Here Comes Santa Claus