Andrea, Matteo & Virginia Bocelli – A Family Christmas (Deluxe Edition)

Decca Records / Capitol Records

Release Date: November 10th 2023

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Andrea, Matteo & Virginia Bocelli– A Family Christmas (Deluxe Edition) (iTunes)

Track Listing:

Do You Hear What I Hear?
Away In A Manger
Feliz Navidad
The First Noel
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Over The Rainbow
Buon Natale
Joy To The World
The Greatest Gift
When Christmas Comes To Town
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Il Giorno Piu Speciale
I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Let It Snow
Silver Bells
Winter Wonderland
E’Natale!
Hallelujah
Do You Hear What I Hear? (feat. Pentatonix)
Feliz Navidad (feat. The Simpsons)
The Greatest Gift (Family Mix)
Cantique de Noel (Duet Version)

Does Andrea Bocelli, one of the world’s most iconic and legendary opera singers ever, need any introduction? I mean, any introduction at all? A certain inclusion amongst the iconic and identity building artists that we are still in the midst of writing about, even though we’re in the middle of a break with our blogs at the moment; Andrea is an artist that we will delve into more in-depth in the coming months… but let me first say this. “The Prayer” is one of the most globally popular and influential songs of all time, and regardless of whether you believe in Jesus or not, there’s no denying the impact the song has had on the world at large. Andrea is more popular and well-known for his Italian songs and other more operatic melodies that aren’t that ‘known’ on the radio- but he did duet with Ed Sheeran on “Perfect” on what is a compelling, exquisite, and inspiring version. Andrea is blind from birth, and so he ‘sees’ the world differently than you and I. His Catholic faith forms the basis of his world view and his morals and values; and as I have always been fascinated with his music (even though I myself haven’t really dived into his music in a wholistic sense), I have now jumped at the chance to listen to and give my thoughts on Andrea’s latest Christmas album A Family Christmas– particular since it is a family affair indeed, with son Matteo and daughter Virginia present on this album with lead vocals. Andrea has released a Christmas album previously (My Christmas in 2009); and 13 years later, he is back with the stirring, magical and majestic sequel, together with his children Matteo Bocelli and Virginia Bocelli.

I’m not familiar at all, with Matteo’s music, nor Virginia’s singing. Nor should I be. Matteo is just starting out his music career, and Virginia is only 10 years old. Yet their vocals on this album shine the brightest in my opinion; and the unique blend of father and children singing together literally has me in chills and goosebumps. And as I’ve previously reviewed the standard edition of this exquisite album here; let me now briefly touch upon the 9 brand new tracks that make up the deluxe edition of the album, which released just this past year. “Let It Snow”, “Silver Bells”, and “Winter Wonderland” are all holiday songs that I wouldn’t normally connect with, however Andrea, Matteo and especially Virginia make these melodies sound all the more powerful, engaging, and fascinating, as “Silver Bells” is especially haunting with Virgina leading the track on her own. “E’Natale!” is yet another hard-hitting and transcendent song about the birth of Jesus Christ, while “Cantique de Noel” is an Italian version of “O Holy Night” and literally brings chills down my spine! “The Greatest Gift” (Family Mix)”, led by Matteo is a radio version of the already impressive original melody from the standard version, while “Hallelujah” is a beautiful and otherworldly duet between Andrea and Virginia, as they breathe new life into Leonard Cohen’s timeless classic track. And although it’s strange and weird to hear the Simpsons next to Pentatonix on an Andrea Bocelli album; the variety and the creativity here needs to be commended, and there truly isn’t a bad track here, even though opera still takes a while to ‘get into’ for me.

A Family Christmas (Deluxe Edition), like other impacting Christmas albums this year that we haven’t reviewed yet [albums from Michael W. Smith, Jon Pardi, Brandy, Elevation Worship, Seth McFarlane, Sabrina Carpenter, Sarah Reeves and Mac Powell to name a few], as well as Pentatonix’s The Greatest Christmas Hits which we have reviewed; is a stellar, powerful and inspiring collection of heartfelt, worshipful, memorable and engaging Christmas carols and holiday classics. Andrea, Virginia, and Matteo Bocelli sing together in unison and harmony to perfection- and truly, I cannot think of much more to say about such a musically diverse and lyrically strong album. I’ve always known that Andrea is an iconic and legendary artist across all time and all generations… and this Christmas deluxe edition album confirms this fact. And though I’m still on the fence about Matteo (because his voice is probably the only nit-pick I have- in that it’s on the whole quite unremarkable, even though there is passion!), Virginia’s voice here is out-of-this-world in an incredibly good way. So, what are you waiting for. Go and buy or stream this epic masterpiece immediately; and then go and stream Andrea’s discography. Also, I’d say to be on the lookout for Virginia’s solo music… because she is too good to not pursue music! Well done guys, I can’t wait to hear what God has in store for you next!