Star Bright is the fourth studio album and first Christmas album by Vanessa Williams, released on November 5, 1996, on Mercury Records. It achieved success as one of the best-selling holiday albums of 1996 and '97. It peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200, #24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #5 on the Top Holiday Albums. The album went on to be nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album and was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.
Although no official singles were released from the album, "Do You Hear What I Hear/The Little Drummer Boy" reached #15 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. A video was shot in 1993 for "What Child Is This?" that was originally featured on the A&M Records Christmas compilation A Very Special Christmas 2. The album was re-released in 2003 as The Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters: The Best of Vanessa Williams.
Entertainment Weekly editor Chris felt that Williams "gets plenty of bonus points for good taste, starting with the actual cover of "Star Bright", which finds her striking a Julie Londonesque pose in a slinky evening dress that isnâÂÂt even red or green. The quiet orchestrations and modest interpretations she favors may be too careful [...] but compared with the overreachings of certain parties to be named shortly, a little subtlety goes a long way." Shawn M. Haney from AllMusic found that "Williams blends in the beauty of jazz, gospel, and soul music to create a portrait of Christmas songs. The record, entitled Star Bright, is genuinely filled with a glistening appeal, and the songs that it contains encompass a rich tapestry of the best and brightest seasonal music. The setting changes via each song, some tunes filled with Williams' rich voice backed by an assertive, charismatic gospel choir."