Joy to the world: Cliff Richard to release new Christmas album

If you are already dreading the sound of festive staples playing on a loop during outings to the high street, then your misery may soon be compounded.

In a return to the musical frontline, 81-year-old Sir Cliff Richard has announced he is to release his first dedicated Christmas album in nearly two decades.

The record, Christmas With Cliff, will bring together an “album of classics” including It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Joy to the World, Jingle Bell Rock and more.

New tracks will include First Christmas, Six Days After Christmas (Happy New Year), and Heart of Christmas. The record will be released on 25 November, featuring 13 tracks comprising Christmas classics and new festive songs.

Richard said he had always loved being in recording studios since time spent in 1958 in Studio Two, Abbey Road, famous for its use by artists including the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis and Adele.

“I recorded this album in Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida – 4,427 miles away from Abbey Road – and once again I felt that I was in a world of my own,” said the singer, who worked with two producers, Sam Hollander and Chris Walden.

“They guided me through the well-known Christmas songs and freed me to sing them my way. They had differing approaches to the songs that I asked them to produce for me, and they gave this album the dynamics that I had hoped for.”

“This album is not just mine, it belongs to all of us involved in creating it, and I hope that we add a little something special to your Christmas season.”

The release comes in the tradition of Richard’s previous festive hits, including Mistletoe And Wine, which was the Christmas No 1 in the 1988 singles’ chart.

Saviour’s Day took the title two years later in 1990, according to the Official Charts Company. In 1960, with his backing band, the Shadows, the song I Love You was the Christmas No 1.