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)

The Music of Johnny Mathis: Your Personal Sampler (1993)

Promotional CD

The 4 disc box set is currently available for under $10 on eBay if you're interested.

Johnny Mathis was blessed with an immediately recognizable smooth voice and impeccable sense of phrasing. Over his career, he had 20 Billboard Top 40 hits, 18 of those between the years 1957-1963, so chances are slim that this career-spanning compilation focuses exclusively on the hits. At least it includes his two chart-toppers, Chances Are and Too Much Too Little Too Late, a 1978 duet with Deniece Williams (I can sing both parts to the latter if you'd like to hit the karaoke bar later). I like those two mellow hits, along with his take on the standard Misty. Based on a sample size of my immediate family, I'll conclude that Mathis is mainly known to audiences today as a crooner of Christmas tunes, so I'm glad they included a couple of those. The most interesting find, however, is track 10, The Island. It was recorded in 1989 as part of a unreleased yachty Brazilian album produced by Sergio Mendes. I wouldn't mind hearing more tracks from that album.

Even if you could come across this CD, I wouldn't recommend it as a definitive Mathis compilation. Too few tracks, not enough hits. You'd think they would have included at least one disco track from his 1979 album, Mathis Magic.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Promo only; did not chart

Tracks:

Song	Year	Billboard	Cash Box
Wonderful! Wonderful!	1957	14	12
Chances Are	1957	1	1
You'll Never Know	1959
Misty	1959	12	14
Maria	1960	78	50
Long Ago and Far Away	1971
Life is a Song Worth Singing	1973	54	64
Too Much, Too Little, Too Late	1978	1	12
99 Miles from L.A. (Live)	1975
The Island	1989
Sleigh Ride	1958
It's a Marshmallow World	1963

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.