by Michael P ColemanAfter over six decades of thrilling his fans with almost 80 albums, it must have been at least a bit daunting for the legendary Johnny Mathis to go into the studio to record a new project that might stand the test of time.
Daunting or not, Mathis and the equally legendary Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds have done just that with the beautiful new Johnny Mathis Sings The Great New American Songbook. The brainchild of music industry legend Clive Davis, the new album features 11 masterpieces that were introduced to fans of great music via singers like Adele, Whitney Houston, R Kelly, Pharrell, and Bruno Mars.
Mathis’ new album was over two years in the making. The legend said quite a lot of work went into it — with some of it coming before he’d sung a single note. As he recalled the song selection process, Mathis’ love and respect for Davis was obvious.
“Clive wanted hits, titles that people will know about, and he’s interested in selling records. I’m interested in whether I can sing the song or not,” Mathis laughed by phone. “Clive’s list went from the sublime to the ridiculous! So it was a lot of give and take. I’ve still got my little boy attitude about what I really like to sing. I have to be shoved a little bit one way or the other, and that’s good.”
That shoving was was very good for the legend’s fans, as Johnny Mathis Sings The Great New American Songbook is one the singer’s absolute best. Babyface echoed Mathis in recalling Davis’ influence on the project.
For the full story, please visit TheHuffingtonPost.com.
