Customer Reviews

Christmas Eve With Johnny Mathis

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm never tempted to listen to Johnny Mathis for the first eleven months of the year, but it almost wouldn't be Christmas without hearing him sing We Need a Little Christmas. I'm sure you've heard this version on the radio many times. Other familiar cuts on this album are It's Beginning to Look a Lot Alike Christmas and his exuberant version of It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

There are some less familiar tunes on here that are really quite enjoyable in a quieter way. Those songs include Where Can I Find Christmas/ Christmas is for Everyone and Every Christmas Eve/Giving.

This album is entirely secular music. Mathis has other albums that include sacred Christmas music. I have several of his Christmas albums, but I'd say if you are only going to buy one, and you want his Christmas standards, this is probably the one you want to buy.

Johnny Mathis makes one of his last recordings with the Henry Mancini Orchestra for this gem. The one the radio stations seem to want to play all the time is "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas", but as usual it's not the best song on the album. "Jingle Bells" is a creatively-arranged toe-tapper that I enjoy a lot, but for me the best song is one that I actually had to get used to! After listening to a bunch of rousing Christmas tunes, this one, the last song on the LP, slows things way down and brings you back down to earth! Of course, I'm talking about the beautiful "It's Christmas Time Again". I bought this when it WAS still available on LP, but it's great on CD, too! It sure beats the heck out of his "Merry Christmas" album.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" Even if it's warm and sunny, this will put you in the Christmas spirit! For 13 years this has been the first album I play to kick off the holidays. Johnny Mathis is in his usual superb form. Purchase this CD and it will become part of your Christmas traditions!

Johnny Mathis released a terrific album with "Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis." Johnny is in excellent form throughout the album and the musical arrangements by Henry Mancini, Ray Ellis and Jeremy Lubbock couldn't have been any better. The quality of the sound is excellent, too.

"It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas" provides an auspicious start for the album; and while the backup chorus harmonizes flawlessly Johnny never really needed backup--his talents carry him through every time. "Toyland" is very easy on the ear; and I really like "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" which gets a most spirited treatment to make it a classic. "Jingle Bells," arranged by Ray Ellis and not Mancini, sounds just great and "Christmas Is For Everyone/ Where Can I Find Christmas" is a fine medley by Johnny Mathis that I never tire of hearing especially at this time of the year.

The "Every Christmas Eve/Giving (Santa's Theme)" is beautifully done; Johnny performs this with genuine heart and soul. "The Christmas Waltz" is another charmer; it uses the strings, piano, brass and more to round it all out and that's grand. "We Need A Little Christmas" from "Mame" gets the royal treatment from Mathis who does this to perfection; and there's yet another gem in "Caroling, Caroling/Happy Holiday." The album ends very nicely with "It's Christmas Time Again." Indeed, it all leaves me wanting more!

Johnny Mathis fans should add this to their collections; Johnny does have other albums with more traditional, religious holiday music on them if you should want that, too.

This is the only CD of Johnny's I listen to 12 months out of the year!! It is addictive and just darn good!! "We Need A Little Christmas" is the best....and my favorite Christmas song. There is no Chrsitmas without Santa and most of all...Johnny Mathis and this album! Even Oprah recommended it on her Christmas show!! So, if you don't believe me....believe Oprah. Johnny Mathis' Christmas Eve album IS the Christmas mood!.....And he just looks so awefully good on the front of this CD! I wish he was under my tree!!!!

Christmas Music is part of the American Way of Life. Year after year, American people get full of joy and the pleasure of listening to Christmas Music becomes a must.Also artists from many different styles and their labels are very conscious about it. It is rare to find an artist from the traditional pop scene who has not recorded at least one Christmas Album.

Unfortunately, this Christmas tradition in American music scene is fading away among young artists though sales keep hot in the season. This proves traditional pop artists have got a market niche which maintains year after year even selling the very same album that has been recorded many decades ago.

Repertoire is basically the same and this is another peculiar facet of Christmas Music. This is an indicator of the traditional `American way of buying music'.

It is commonplace in the USA that many different traditional pop artists record the same hit song in a season. For instance, I remember that `The Shadow of Your Smile' has been recorded by Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, and even Astrud Gilberto, besides its sensational OST by Johnny Mandel. This shows Americans like to listen to that same song or repertoire as recorded specifically by their favorite artists.

It is different than the music industry and customers in Brazil, for instance. If an artist records the same songs as other one does, he is minorly categorized as a `cover artist'. This is a bad category which labels the artist a minor artist, lacking creativeness as for Brazilian market parameters.

It is very interesting, anyway, to listen to the same repertoire as recorded by so many different artists from so many different times under so many different arrangement concepts. Comparison arises inevitably. Somehow, a delicious comparison. What's the best `Jingle Bells' from Johnny Mathis to Diana Krall? Who's recorded the most creative `Silent Night' - Wynton Marsalis or Nat King Cole? There is a killer `Jingle Bells' recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra under arrangement by Michel Legrand and with Jean Pierre Rampal on flute. Ooooh God!

Year after year, those albums are made available by continuous reissuing or not. Some even keep in the label's catalog on and on even out the Christmas season.

This is the case for this CD `Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis' recorded in 1990 by one the most important stylists of American song and arranged by an all-star team of arrangers which include Henry Mancini, Ray Ellis and Jeremy Lubock.

Uncommon Xmas songs make up most of the program. Never mind. Mathis' style imparts each song a particular touch, highly inspired, emotionally crafted, technically perfect. Features a new and delicious arrangement by Ray Ellis for 'Jingle Bells'.

A beautiful Christmas album by Johnny Mathis. Someone said his is the voice of Christmas. This fourth album in his Xmas series confirms it. I'm willing to agree.

Pros: A rich, mature Mathis voice. Mostly good musical arrangements. Great performances of the popular Christmas hits.

Cons: Occasional overuse of vibrato. Intrusive choruses. Obscure songs lacking appeal.

More thoughts:
This album starts strong with a great version of "It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas." Unfortunately, the ceaseless and slow vibrato in the next song, "Toyland," annoys me to the point of pressing the Skip buttom. "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" and "Jingle Bells" are both winners--the latter despite excessive choral voice. The next two songs are less popular, and both suffer from excess vibrato, intrusive chorus, and tiresome music choices like time-keeping drumsticks knocked against drum rims. "The Christmas Waltz" is beautifully sung and arranged. "We Need A Little Christmas" is rollicking holiday fun. "Caroling, Caroling/Happy Holiday" lost some appeal for having the only overt 80's musical arrangements, but the album closes fairly strongly with "It's Christmas Time Again" (though it, too, has too much vibrato). While I dislike 3 of the 10 songs on the album, 70% is still pretty good.

Christmas would not be Christmas without playing a Johnny Mathis Christmas CD. He is a master at enhancing the Christmas spirit with his music. This album is exceptional. Every song is a "winner," sung as only Johnny can do. You will be singing these songs long after the CD has stopped playing. Johnny never disappoints you with his Christmas music. He loves this time of year and it is evident in the way his voice caresses every song. I highly recommend it to add to your collection.

Johnny Mathis presents a relaxing Christmas CD that brings the magic of Christmas warmth to delight the hearts everyone, especially for those who take a moment in the busyness of the season to dwell on the real reason we celebrate the holiday.

This cd is definitely one to add to your collection, no matter what age you are!