Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook explained

Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook
Type:album
Artist:Johnny Mathis
Cover:Mathis-New.jpg
Released:September 29, 2017[1]
Recorded:2017
Studio:Brandon's Way Recording,
Los Angeles, California,
IV Lab Studios,
Chicago, Illinois
Zoomar South Studios,
Nashville, Tennessee[2]
Length:45:39
Label:Columbia
Producer:Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Prev Title:The Complete Christmas Collection 1958-2010
Prev Year:2015
Next Year:2017

Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook is a studio album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on September 29, 2017, by Columbia Records[1] and was composed of covers of recent hits by other artists. His last project to tackle the latest radio favorites was the 1996 release .

History

Mathis sang at a pre-Grammy party hosted by Clive Davis in February 2015 and, "by almost all accounts, brought the house down and the crowd to its collective feet with his performance of his past hits."[3] The appearance inspired the idea to have the singer make a concept album that Davis would executive produce and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds would produce,[3] but instead of focusing on the Great American Songbook as Mathis has done throughout his career, the selections here date back only as far as the 1990s.

Critical reception

Allmusic's James Christopher Monger wrote, "What's best is that he sounds legitimately engaged throughout, even on the umpteenth reading of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah,' and his voice, which is a bit overly treated at times (seriously, Johnny Mathis does not need Auto-Tune), is as strong as ever, making one wonder why it took so long for him to apply his still considerable gifts to more contemporary fare."[1]

Track listing

  1. "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:30
  2. "Once Before I Go" (Peter Allen, Dean Pitchford) – 3:49
  3. "Blue Ain't Your Color" (Steven Lee Olsen, Hillary Lindsey, Clint Lagerberg) – 3:44
  4. "You Raise Me Up" (Brendan Graham, Rolf Løvland) – 4:01
  5. "Say Something" (Ian Axel, Chad King, Mike Campbell) – 3:15
  6. "Just the Way You Are" (Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars, Khari Cain, Saint Cassius) – 3:27
  7. "I Believe I Can Fly" (R. Kelly) – 4:47
  8. "Remember When" (Alan Jackson) – 3:55
  9. "Happy" (Pharrell Williams) – 3:25
  10. "Hello" (Adele Adkins, Greg Kurstin) – 5:17
  11. "Run to You" (Allan Rich, Jud Friedman) – 4:29

Personnel

Musicians
Production

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook – Johnny Mathis. allmusic.com. RhythmOne, LLC. 25 November 2017.
  2. (2017) Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Columbia Records 88985 44249 2.
  3. Web site: Johnny Mathis Plots New Concept Album With Clive Davis & Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds: Exclusive . billboard.com. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group . 6 December 2017.

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