kamel622's Full Review: Merry Christmas by Johnny Mathis
While country music is my preferred music, I also do like oldies and have always loved the sound of Johnny Mathis’s voice. While looking for another Alan Jackson CD I spotted Merry Christmas Johnny Mathis and knew my hubby would enjoy listening to some Christmas music that didn’t have any twang to it, so I picked it up. I have to admit, I’m enjoying it quite a bit myself.
The Songs
There are 14 beautiful and very traditional Christmas songs on the CD:
Winder Wonderland
The Christmas Song
Sleigh Ride
Blue Christmas
I’ll Be Home For Christmas
White Christmas
O Holy Night
What Child Is This?
The First Noel
Silver Bells
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Silent Night, Holy Night
Christmas Eve
My Kind Of Christmas
My Favorites
I liked this CD right from the first song Winter Wonderland has that bouncy magical sound to it as Mr. Mathis describes what it is like walking in a winter wonderland. He sings this song with changes in his tempo and keeps the listener wanting to hear more.
The Christmas Song is another of those songs that is slow and the background orchestra strings makes me really feel the soft words that are sung:
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack frost nipping at your nose.
So I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety two
Although it’s been said
Many times many ways
Merry Christmas to you.
This song just touches my heart and makes me think of the beauty of the season and the love that I feel for my family and friends.
I like it sung by Johnny Mathis and although his version isn’t a lot different from many others that I’ve heard, his voice seems to be just right for this song.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas is a song that can bring tears to my eyes no matter who sings it. Since I don’t spend any holidays with my birth family anymore, this song does make me think back to the days when my sister and brother and I would get up early and sneak out to the living room and take things out of stockings just waiting for mom and dad to get up. Since both of my parents have passed, it is in my dreams, as the song says, that I am home with them. Mr. Mathis’ beautiful voice does a great job with this song. It is one of those that I don’t want to hear, but I want to hear so much. Hope that makes sense.
O Holy Night is a wonderful song that is a great reminder of what the reason for the season is.
Fall on your knees
O hear the Angel voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
The beauty of the words sung touch my heart as I am reminded of the love I feel for the Lord. How blessed I feel that He came for my sins and that He is always with me.
This is a slow song with a great musical range that builds upon itself and crescendo’s with an almost operatic sound.
Silver Bells is a bouncy happy song that makes me want to sing along. The tinkling of bells in the background give this song a light cheery sound as well. It is a song of hope and anticipation as we wait for Christmas day. I love how Mr. Mathis’ voice raises in lowers in this song. He holds a note for a very long time and the music behind him just makes the whole song feel warm.
Silent Night, Holy Night is song that has an almost hauntingly beautiful sound to it. The joy of the birth of our Lord is proclaimed in this song. I love how each word is annunciated so sharply and yet the soft sound of humming behind the words Mr. Mathis sings make this song one that really touches my heart.
Not Quite My Favorites
What Child is This? is a beautiful song with wonderful lyrics however in this version I felt as if I wasn’t hearing Mr. Mathis so much as I was hearing the background singers. It is such a very small con and yet in trying to really listen and be objective I think that this song just didn’t grab me the way most of the songs did.
My Feelings
The only problem I’m having with reviewing CD’s is that I cannot find enough music that I don’t like on the albums I buy. This one is no exception. I love all of the songs so much and really had to stretch to even mention the one song that I did as not quite my favorite. They are all wonderful Christmas songs that Mr. Mathis’ voice makes even more beautiful.
This CD is filled with very traditional songs from a long time ago. That makes them feel very familiar to me. I can remember hearing Johnny Mathis sing when I was a young girl and on up through my teen age years. While other groups took the forefront, his soft and spiritual voice is filled with joy and is a sound that I’ve always loved.
I do like the orchestral strings that play and make the songs have that rich large choir sound. In most of the songs the amount of background singing is just right. We hear beautiful voices echoing the words that are being sung by Mr. Mathis and for most of the songs the voices add to the richness of the song.
This is a CD that I’ve played many times since purchasing it and I’m sure I’ll be playing for our Christmas morning breakfast as well. I’m sure my whole family will appreciate that at least one of my musical choices for the day isn’t a country album.
Nuts & Bolts
Merry Christmas Johnny Mathis was produced for reissue by Didier C. Deutsch and Darcy M. Proper. Original recordings were produced by Mitch Miller and Al Ham.
Johnny Mathis made this album with Percy Faith and his orchestra. The beautiful sounds of their accompaniment gives this CD a wonderful rich sound.
Sony Music reproduced this 2003 album from originally released songs from 1958 and 1961.
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