It was produced by Steve Mac, who says, "Now Susan’s used to the studio and the recording process, this time round we might go even further down a traditional route of recording by getting a band together and rehearsing songs before we go into the studio to see what works, how she reacts with certain parts, and so we can change the arrangements that way.

"[2] In a lead up to the release, Boyle offered her fans a chance to duet with her, with a competition titled Susan's Search.

Applicants had to record a video of themselves singing "Silent Night" and upload it to her YouTube channel.

In the United States, The Gift debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 318,000 copies.

[18] By the end of 2010, sales of The Gift totalled 1,852,000 copies in the United States, and was the fifth best-selling album for the year.

[19][20] As of November 2014, the album has attained cumulative sales of 2,180,000 copies in the United States according to SoundScan.