Johnny Mathis - The Island (1989)

Note: the CD I listened to was 2020 CD release

This album was recorded in August 1989, but not released at that time. The compact disc I purchased is the first standalone-CD release of this album, but not its first time on CD. The album made its debut on CD in 2017 as Disc #55 in the mammoth 68(!) CD box set titled The Voice Of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection (MSRP $499.98, currently reselling for at least twice that price).

I was gifted a Mathis promo CD sampler and it contained the title track from this album. I wrote the following: "I wouldn't mind hearing more tracks from that album." Produced by Sergio Mendes, this album is full of a soft rock blend that lies somewhere between música popular brasileira and WestCoast/Adult Oriented Rock. More on the release from these 2 posts:

• Johnny Mathis’ Brazil-Themed “The Island” Arrives From Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music
• The Island

Anyway, I bought this copy back in November 2021 and I really want to like the thing, but I just don't think the right material was chosen to suit Mathis's immediately recognizable voice. While listening, I can't help but wonder what Al Jarreau or Joe Pizzulo would have done with a few of these songs. Another problem with the album is a lack of variety; I'd like an upbeat tune every now and then to offset all the slow-to-midtempo romantic material. To be brutally honest, some of this stuff is downright boring. So maybe the album wasn't released back in '89 for good reason?

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: I'm already familiar with other versions of three songs on the disc, so of course I compare these to the first I heard. The tracks that work better than others are Who's In Love Here (co-written by Brenda Russell) and Wanting More. And I'll ignore the unintended irony of that title for now.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Music of Johnny Mathis: Your Personal Sampler (1993)