Virginia Biano Mathis

In case you've lost track (or were never keeping track), this is Johnny Mathis' sixth newly recorded Christmas album following Merry Christmas (1958), The Sound of Christmas (1963), Give Me Your Love for Christmas (1969), For Christmas (1984), and Christmas Eve With Johnny Mathis (1986)…

Few crooners can claim that name with as much authority as Johnny Mathis. Although his style may seem rather old fashioned to those who grew up on rock & roll, Mathis’s rich, vibrato-heavy voice and interpretative knack made him remarkably popular in the 1950s and ‘60s. This disc, which spreads 10 tracks, features “Chances Are,” “Wonderful! Wonderful!,” “(Where Do I Begin) Love Story,” and a slew of other Mathis classics. Longtime fans are sure to find many of their favorites, and newcomers to Mathis will find this a fine place to start.

Johnny Mathis was billed on his very first album as “A New Sound in Popular Song.” In the decades since that 1956 debut, the vocalist has always explored new avenues in pop from Latin music to Philly soul. But the most adventurous of Mathis’ 60-plus albums may be the one that got away…until now. In late 1980, Johnny teamed up with the white-hot CHIC production team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, fresh off triumphant collaborations with artists including Sister Sledge and Diana Ross, for I Love My Lady. Mathis took his voice into new, uncharted territory on eight anthemic, club-ready tracks that pushed the envelope of rhythm and blues as they incorporated funk, jazz, disco, and dance rhythms.