Gold and Green is the fourth studio album and first Christmas album from country music duo Sugarland. The album was released on October 13, 2009 via Mercury Records Nashville. It features five original songs penned by group members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush and five traditional holiday songs that were also previously included as part of a Wal-Mart-exclusive re-release of the duo's 2006 album Enjoy the Ride.
Thom Jurek of Allmusic gave a two-star review, calling it "an obvious, cloying exercise in marketing" and saying that it "holds little artistic merit."[1]Paste critic Cory Albertson similarly said, "Gold and Green’s schizophrenic tone seems tailored for mass consumption by country radio and the soccer-mom set, but most other listeners will need far more eggnog to stomach such uninspired holiday cheer."[2] Matt Bjorke reviewed it positively on Roughstock, saying, "City of Silver Dreams" could actually find itself a seminal holiday song like Joni Mitchell’s"River" as it tells a wonderfully soft and melodic story of New York City and the beauty of a new romance within the context of Christmas." The song was co-written with Lisa Carver and Ellis Paul.[4]
Gold and Green debuted at No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart; it has since risen to a peak of No. 3 on the chart. During the 2009 holiday season, the set sold approximately 256,000 copies.[5]
