Music Review: Merry Christmas by Johnny Mathis

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Strong vocals, new words on two songs

Cons: "The First Noel"

The Bottom Line:

Timeless Christmas songs

In a timeless recording

An annual must




Standard of Christmas Music

I have a running "argument" with a friend. She insists that Bing Crosby is the voice of Christmas while I stand behind Johnny Mathis. While I freely confess that I have Crosby's White Christmas and love it, Merry Christmas is still one of the first CD's I pull out every year.

Of course, it helps that this CD is full of memories. I have heard it every Christmas of my life. The nostalgia factor is obviously very high for me.

But this CD is filled with classic songs and great arrangements of them. In fact, it has my favorite version of two of them. "Winter Wonderland" opens the CD with a light warm feeling. It includes some rarely heard bridges describing the landscape and a second verse about building a second snowman, this time a clown. Percy Faith's orchestra, which does all the background music on the disc, keeps the music bouncy and Johnny's vocals are rich.

The other favorite is "What Child is This?" This song is slow and the Percy Faith singers back up Johnny. Between them and the strings, this minor key song is haunting. While it is beautiful to listen to, what I especially like about this song is the words. Instead of doing the chorus after all three verses, he does a different chorus each time. These additional lyrics reflect on the wonder that is Christmas. As a Christian, I especially enjoy these extra meditations.

He also covers two classics that are associated with other artists. As a diehard Christmas music lover, I am a little ashamed to say I have never heard Elvis' version of "Blue Christmas" so I can't make the comparison. This one is great, however. Johnny's vocals evoke the longing for the missing special someone and the strings bring it out even more.

"White Christmas" may be Bing's signature Christmas song, but Johnny makes it his own. Just a tad slower then normal, the orchestra and singers back up Johnny's warm voice. They even include sleigh bells in the background.

Speaking of sleigh bells, "Sleigh Ride" is another highlight of the disc. Easily the fastest song, it has a pop feel to it. Light and bouncy with bells keeping the rhythm off and on, I can easily picture the ride the song describes.

Just about every song here is a real classic for me. While I have other versions of "O Holy Night" I like better, I can't dismiss this one either. Johnny has a very powerful voice that easily hits all the notes in this classic. Again, the orchestra is heavy on the strings, and it works to create a beautiful version.

The only misstep here is "The First Noel." Granted, I'm not a fan of the carol in general, but this version certainly hasn't helped matters. It's slow and uninteresting to listen to. Furthermore, he sings every verse. And he sings every verse the same way. It gets repetitious quickly.

But that track is the only one I skip on Merry Christmas. Between the nostalgia and the wonderful arrangements, this will continue to be a staple of my Christmas music collection for years to come.

CD Length: 44:13

Tracks:

1. Winter Wonderland

2. The Christmas Song

3. Sleigh Ride

4. Blue Christmas

5. I'll Be Home for Christmas

6. White Christmas

7. O Holy Night

8. What Child is This?

9. The First Noel

10. Silver Bells

11. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

12. Silent Night, Holy Night