Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

Johnny Mathis's 2006 return to the spotlight was richly deserved, not because his career needed resurrecting--he's continued touring and recording for breathless fans well into his seventh decade--but because post-boomer generations shouldn't be allowed to roam the world asking "Johnny Who?" when his name gets mentioned. Mathis is that important an artist, and this compendium of his work, best thought of as a winking glance, does an able job of demonstrating why: "Chances Are," a slice of pop brilliance set to a piano with a broken heart, has always sounded as though it's been pulled off a silver platter. The Mathis voice--rich and deep at some turns, high and fragile at others, poured gold either way--seals it in timelessness; it's a pop scholar's very definition of a classic. "Wonderful! Wonderful!" throws off the same sparks to a lesser degree--delivery-wise, it's nearly impossible not to attach the word delightful, and overall it reeks of cultural importance. The rest of these songs add up to a case study in why Mathis matters: "Misty" may be dusty, but it still melts the heart. And "When Sunny Gets Blue," with its slow, sad strings, stings with Roy Orbison-caliber potency. Two previously unreleased tracks, "So Many Stars," produced by Sergio Mendes, and "The Shadow of Your Smile," with Dave Koz and Chris Botti, shine a light on Mathis's more recent work. It holds up brilliantly (not easy, considering Mathis's clean, distinctive voice). It also accounts, probably, for this disc's closing track--Ray Charles wouldn't have recorded his late-career rendition of "Over the Rainbow" with just anybody. If you didn't hear it on Genius Loves Company, hear it here. --Tammy La Gorce more

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Smarter Choice Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration Track Listing: 1. Chances Are, 2. Wonderful! Wonderful!, 3. It's Not For Me to Say, 4. Twelfth of Never, The, 5. When...	Best Buy 14,835 reviews *smarter certified	$14.99	See it
Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration Johnny Mathis's 2006 return to the spotlight was richly deserved, not because his career needed resurrecting--he's...	Amazon 11,406 reviews	$7.99 Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.	See it
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Recent Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jun-19-2008; Such A Pleasure; Upon listening to the song `One God'.....I was moved to tears at the truth behind it...and the simple way his melodic voice made me feel so wonderful. Great listening CD; read full review | report as inappropriate

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Mar-30-2008; exquisite--as far as it goes, that is (three and one-half stars); Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration is a somewhat disappointing single CD retrospective that just can't possibly reflect all the golden hits of Johnny Mathis' illustrious career. The sound quality, however, is very good; and the artwork...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Dec-09-2007; Johnny Mathis 50 Years; Johnny Mathis and his Greatest Hit's.I have followed his carrer from his days in SFO to his great Show here at The Veterans Home in Yontville CA. in 2005.One of the greatest Ballad Singers of all times - If not the Greatest!!!PLEASE KEEP...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jul-15-2007; Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!; This man still has the the most wonderful voice. He actually gets better with age. Love this!!!; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jun-19-2008; Such A Pleasure; Upon listening to the song `One God'.....I was moved to tears at the truth behind it...and the simple way his melodic voice made me feel so wonderful. Great listening CD; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Mar-13-2007; Upgrade and Downgrade among American Crooners; Did you notice old singers and young singers are going opposite ways in American Songbook? What's going on?There is a big list of young singers self-labeled as Jazz singers. People like Michael Bubl?, Jamie Cullum and alike are part of...; read full review | report as inappropriate

1/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jan-17-2007; Johnny Mathis 50 Anniversary CD; I ordered two copies of the same title. My copy had various skips, especially in the first three songs. I no longer listen to it because it is annoying and I don't have the receipt to return it. The other copy was a gift, and the...; read full review | report as inappropriate