Alanis Morissette has spent several years putting out Christmas songs one at a time. Now they are getting a proper home. On 9 October she announced her first full holiday album, Good Weather for Immaculate Conception.
The record is due on 6 November through Epiphany Music/Virgin Music, according to BroadwayWorld and Consequence. Pre-orders are open.
What is on it
Rolling Stone reports that the album has 14 tracks and follows years of holiday covers from Morissette. Some of those earlier releases are included. There are two new originals, “Christmas on the Dance Floor” and “To an Empath at Christmas Time.”
The rest is mostly familiar seasonal material. The tracklist published by JamBase includes “O Holy Night,” “What Child Is This?,” “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Ave Maria,” “River,” “Last Christmas” and “Silent Night.”
The guests
The lead single is her version of “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem,” out now. Stereogum describes it as a gospel hymn most famously recorded by the Judds. Brandi Carlile sings on it, and Steve Martin plays banjo, according to Consequence.
Martin’s longtime collaborator and Only Murders in the Building co-star Martin Short appears too, but on a different track, “Merry Christmas.” Other guests, per the published tracklist, are:
- Amythyst Kiah on “Momma Mary”
- Trans Voices, described by Consequence as the UK’s first professional trans choir, on “O Tannenbaum”
- Joy Oladokun on “Silent Night”
Shows and editions
JamBase reports that Morissette opens a residency called Butterfly With A Machete at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, on 5 November. That is the night before the album comes out. Further dates are listed in its coverage.
Retailer editions are already appearing. Fans on a Pop Square forum thread mention an Amazon UK CD with a signed holiday card and an HMV version with two bonus tracks. Details of the bonus material had not been given, according to that thread, which is user commentary and not an official announcement.
BroadwayWorld says the release comes in what it calls a milestone year for the Grammy-winning artist. The article does not spell out the milestone in the portion reviewed here.
The album title is a pun, and Stereogum also noted the humor in the two new song titles. Whether the record leans toward comedy or sincerity will be clear only when it is out. The single, with its hymn setting and a bluegrass banjo, suggests at least part of it will be fairly traditional.