Put Johnny Mathis in your shopping list

The year is nearing its end and musicwise, the releases from the big ones continue to come. This happens because of the extra cash that everybody is ready to part with on Christmastime. And when you have people looking for things to spend money on, you can also expect to find great items to choose from. I have already found several CDs that I think music lovers should not be without. Here are three more really great ones to add to your shopping list.

Did you ever imagine that Johnny Mathis would one day record a country album? I never did and I doubt if his fans did. The velvet-voiced Mathis is all sophistication. I think of him along with white dinner jackets and cocktails in smoky nightclubs. Country music is from the heart of America. It is simpler, down to earth and overtly emotional. Mathis and country didn’t seem to go together.

On the other hand though, Mathis is a great singer. He should be able to sing anything his way. He enjoys singing beautiful songs and country music has some of the most beautiful songs ever written. He is not about to let anybody stop him from doing that. He did not. And so it is here, Let It Be Me Johnny Mathis In Nashville, his first collection of country songs. Listen and I am sure you will want a Volume 2.

Surprisingly, the songs that emerged as most affecting are the true-blue country ones I never imagined Mathis would cover. Glen Campbell’s Southern Nights retains its happy lilt. The folk tune Shenandoah is a moving cowboy paean to olden days. What A Wonderful World is doubly Christmasy with Mathis’ vocals. And who can resist the lovely Let It Be Me. Featuring Alison Kraus, it is so sad but ever beautiful.

Also included are Make The World Go Away; Crazy; You Don’t Know Me; Lovin’ Arms; We Must Be Lovin’ Right; I Can’t Stop Loving You; Love Me Tender and Please Help Me, I’m Falling.

* * *

This is for the Norah Jones fan in your list. To fill in time until she comes up with a new studio album, she came up with the clever idea of putting together her duets, cameos, recordings with groups and other collaborations she has done these past 10 years. The result titled Featuring Norah Jones is eclectic. The songs go from country, Creepin’ In with Dolly Parton to hip-hop, Take Off Your Cool with Outkast to jazz, Court & Spark with Herbie Hancock.

All cuts are of excellent quality and Norah sounds divine. What impresses more though, is the line-up of big name stars that Norah has worked with. Among these are Love Me by The Little Willies; Virginia Moon with the Foo Fighters; Baby, It’s Cold Outside with Willie Nelson; Bull Rider with Sasha Dobson; The Best Part with El Madmo; Life Is Better with Q-Tip; Soon The New Day with Talib Kweli; Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John with Belle and Sebastian; Here We Go Again with Ray Charles; Loretta with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings; Dear John with Ryan Adams; Blue Bayou with M. Ward and others.

* * *

 Thanks to Charice, there is a David Foster fever going on. Not that it is anything new. Pinoys have loved Foster’s kind of music for ages as proven by his big number of hits hereabouts. Most of these are included in The Magic of David Foster & Friends. This is a two-CD collection with 34 hits produced and at times also composed by Foster by the artists who recorded them. These songs are the reasons we love Foster. He is not known as the Hitman for nothing.

Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion; Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton; You’ll See, Madonna; Earth Song, Michael Jackson; Somewhere, Barbra Streisand; In This Song, Charice; Have You Ever, Brandy; If You Don’t Know Me By Now, Seal; After The Love Has Gone, Earth Wind & Fire; Through The Fire, Chaka Khan; Mornin’, Al Jarreau; Whatever We Imagine, James Ingram; Look What You’ve Done To Me, Boz Scaggs; Goodbye, Air Supply; Glory Of Love, Peter Cetera.

The Prayer, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli; You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban; I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston; Unforgettable, Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole; Home, Michael Bublé; Remember Me This Way, Jordan Hill; I Can Love You Like That, All-4-One; Runaway, The Corrs; The Best Of Me, David Foster and Olivia Newton-John; I Can’t Help Falling In Love, Andrea Bocelli; Medley of Hard To Say I’m Sorry, You’re The Inspiration and The Glory Of Love by former Chicago vocalist, Cetera; and For Just A Moment, the landmark theme from the movie St. Elmo’s Fire by Foster himself.