Showing posts with label Johnny Mathis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johnny Mathis. Show all posts

Friday, January 19, 2018

Various - The Music Of Henry Mancini

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:59
Size: 100.7 MB
Styles: Stage & Screen
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:44] 1. Andy Williams - Moon River
[2:11] 2. Johnny Mathis - The Sweetheart Tree
[3:20] 3. Lola Albright - Dreamsville
[3:11] 4. Bobby Hackett - Theme From Peter Gunn
[1:59] 5. Buddy Greco - It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Sta Sera)
[2:53] 6. Andy Williams - Dear Heart
[2:52] 7. Don Costa And His Orchestra - Baby Elephant Walk
[2:53] 8. Charlie Byrd - Two For The Road
[2:50] 9. Patti Page - Days Of Wine And Roses
[3:19] 10. Johnny Mathis - Whistling Away The Dark
[2:30] 11. Andy Williams - Charade
[2:43] 12. Ray Conniff - Nbc Mystery Movie Theme
[2:32] 13. Bobby Hackett - Theme From Mr. Lucky
[2:14] 14. Henry Mancini - Natasha's Theme
[2:48] 15. Johnny Mathis - Darling Lili
[2:53] 16. Andy Williams - In The Arms Of Love

If the recognition of one's peers is the true measure of success, then few men are as successful as composer, arranger, and conductor Henry Mancini. In a career that spanned 40 years, writing for film and television, Mancini won four Oscars and twenty Grammys, the all-time record for a pop artist. For 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's alone, Mancini won five Grammys and two Oscars. Breakfast at Tiffany's includes the classic "Moon River" (lyrics by Johnny Mercer), arguably one of the finest pop songs of the last 50 years. At last count, there were over 1,000 recordings of it. His other notable songs include "Dear Heart," "Days of Wine and Roses" (one Oscar, two Grammys), and "Charade," the last two with lyrics by Mercer. He also had a number one record and won a Grammy for Nino Rota's "Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet." Among his other notable film scores are The Pink Panther (three Grammys), Hatari! (one Grammy), Victor/Victoria (an Oscar), Two for the Road, Wait Until Dark, and 10. His television themes include "Peter Gunn" (two Grammys, recorded by many rock artists), "Mr. Lucky" (two Grammys), "Newhart," "Remington Steele," and The Thorn Birds television mini-series.

Mancini's heyday was the early '60s, when his score for Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) yielded the Oscar-winning hit single "Moon River," which instantly became a pop standard. The following year, he wrote the music for Days of Wine and Roses, which also won an Oscar for its title song. Throughout the next three decades, he continued to be one of the most successful film composers in the world, as well as a popular concert conductor. He continued working until his death in 1994; just prior to his demise, he was writing the score for the musical adaption of Victor/Victoria.

What kept Mancini's work fresh was his ability to write in almost any style imaginable and his successful experimentations with unusual sounds and instruments. In his 1989 memoir Did They Mention the Music?, Mancini's co-author Gene Lees wrote that "More than any other person, he Americanized film scoring, and in time even European film composers followed in his path," and that Mancini wrote scores that "contained almost as many fully developed song melodies as a Broadway musical." Had he not remained true to his first love, film scoring, Mancini would have more than likely made as large an impact on the Broadway stage as he made on the silver screen. ~Kenneth M. Cassidy

The Music Of Henry Mancini mc
The Music Of Henry Mancini zippy

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Various - Fifty #1 Hits Of The 50s (2-Disc Set)

We've done #1 hits collections of the `20s, `30s and `40s, so how could we not take on the `50s?! Each of these was a certified chart-topper: 'Be My Love' Mario Lanza; 'My Heart Cries for You'; 'Singing the Blues'; 'Heartaches by the Number' Guy Mitchell; 'Come On-A My House'; 'Half as Much'; 'Hey There'; 'This Ole House' Rosemary Clooney; 'Sweet Violets' Dinah Shore; 'Cry' Johnnie Ray; 'Slow Poke' Pee Wee King; 'Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes'; 'No Other Love'; 'Wanted'; 'Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)'; 'Catch a Falling Star' Perry Como; plus hits from Sammy Kaye, Phil Harris, Doris Day, Eddie Fisher, Percy Faith, Ames Brothers, Joan Weber, Perez Prado, Roy Hamilton, Mitch Miller, Kay Starr, Marty Robbins, Johnny Mathis, Johnny Horton, Della Reese and many more.

Album: Fifty #1 Hits Of The 50s (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:51
Size: 166.8 MB
Styles: Pop, Easy Listening
Year: 2006

[2:52] 1. Perry Como - Hoop-Dee-Doo
[2:58] 2. Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys - Slow Poke
[2:39] 3. Doris Day - A Guy Is A Guy
[2:48] 4. Percy Faith & His Orchestra - Delicado
[2:45] 5. Rosemary Clooney - Half As Much
[2:54] 6. Eddie Fisher - Wish You Were Here
[2:29] 7. Jimmy Boyd - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
[2:39] 8. Perry Como - Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
[3:17] 9. Felicia Sanders - Where Is Your Heart (From Moulin Rouge )
[3:04] 10. Eddie Fisher - I'm Walking Behind You
[3:13] 11. Perry Como - No Other Love
[3:20] 12. Sammy Kaye With vocals by Tony Alamo - Harbor Lights
[2:52] 13. The Ames Brothers - You, You, You
[2:43] 14. June Valli - Crying In The Chapel
[3:04] 15. Eddie Fisher - Oh! My Pa-Pa (O Mein Papa)
[3:37] 16. Doris Day - Secret Love
[3:04] 17. Perry Como - Wanted
[2:58] 18. Rosemary Clooney - Hey There
[2:19] 19. Phil Harris and His Orchestra - The Thing
[2:45] 20. Guy Mitchell - My Heart Cries For You
[3:04] 21. Perry Como - If
[3:27] 22. Mario Lanza - Be My Love (From The Toast Of New Orleans)
[1:59] 23. Rosemary Clooney - Come On-A My House
[2:47] 24. Dinah Shore - Sweet Violets
[3:02] 25. Johnnie Ray - Cry

Fifty #1 Hits Of The 50s (Disc 1)

Album: Fifty #1 Hits Of The 50s (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:15
Size: 151.7 MB
Styles: Pop, Easy Listening
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:21] 1. Rosemary Clooney - This Ole House
[2:56] 2. Mickey & Sylvia - Love Is Strange
[2:28] 3. Marty Robbins - A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)
[3:01] 4. Johnny Mathis - Chances Are
[2:44] 5. The Silhouettes - Get A Job
[2:27] 6. Perry Como - Catch A Falling Star
[2:28] 7. Don Gibson - Oh, Lonesome Me
[2:19] 8. Pérez Prado Y Su Orquesta - Patricia
[2:01] 9. Dave 'Baby' Cortez - The Happy Organ
[2:25] 10. Wilbert Harrison - Kansas City
[2:30] 11. Johnny Horton - The Battle Of New Orleans
[2:28] 12. Eddie Fisher - I Need You Now
[2:26] 13. Stonewall Jackson - Waterloo
[2:51] 14. The Browns - The Three Bells
[2:19] 15. Santo & Johnny - Sleepwalk
[2:30] 16. Della Reese - Don't You Know
[2:37] 17. Guy Mitchell - Heartaches By The Number
[4:19] 18. Marty Robbins - El Paso
[2:22] 19. Joan Weber - Let Me Go Lover
[2:58] 20. Pérez Prado Y Su Orquesta - Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White
[2:56] 21. Roy Hamilton - Unchained Melody
[2:58] 22. Mitch Miller & The Gang & Orchestra - The Yellow Rose Of Texas
[2:55] 23. Kay Starr - Rock And Roll Waltz
[2:20] 24. Perry Como - Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)
[2:24] 25. Guy Mitchell - Singing The Blues

Fifty #1 Hits Of The 50s (Disc 2)

Monday, February 6, 2017

Various - Heart & Soul: Celebrating The Unforgettable Songs Of Frank Loesser

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:16
Size: 147.1 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. Helen Forrest - I Don't Want To Walk Without You
[3:06] 2. Bea Wain - Heart And Soul
[3:45] 3. Della Reese - Two Sleepy People
[2:31] 4. Kay Kyser - Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition
[2:48] 5. Sarah Vaughan - Can't Get Out Of This Mood
[2:59] 6. Vaughn Monnroe - Let's Get Lost
[2:49] 7. Johnny Mathis - What Are You Doing New Year's Eve
[2:40] 8. Sarah Vaughan - Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
[2:55] 9. Dinah Shore - I Wish I Didn't Love You So
[2:56] 10. Pearl Bailey - Baby, It's Cold Outside
[7:32] 11. Four Lads - Where's Charley
[3:01] 12. Doris Day - I've Never Been In Love Before
[2:15] 13. Barry Manilow - Luck Be A Lady
[2:50] 14. Four Lads - Standing On The Corner
[2:51] 15. Doris Day - Somebody Somewhere
[3:55] 16. Johnny Mathis - Joey, Joey, Joey
[2:40] 17. Vic Damone - Never Will I Marry
[3:21] 18. Michele Lee - I Believe In You
[6:22] 19. Arthur Fiedler - Hans Christian Anderson Medley

There may be no better shorthand for Frank Loesser’s genius than the words “heart and soul.” They never deserted him, from the dapper hit-parade favorites he wrote for Hollywood, to his ambitious Broadway career that produced – in little more than a decade – Where’s Charley?, Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. A complex and sophisticated man, Loesser somehow managed to keep the essence of “heart and soul” in everything he wrote, without ever seeming glib. His craft deepened and broadened, but it never lost an almost streetwise honesty that is as dazzling and sharp as a diamond. You never feel cheated or manipulated in a Frank Loesser song. Seduced, maybe. Teased and kidded, certainly. Moved, almost always. And joyously entertained. ~ David Foil

Heart & Soul: Celebrating The Unforgettable Songs Of Frank Loesser

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Various - 16 Most Requested Songs: The 1950s Vols. 1 & 2

Album: 16 Most Requested Songs: The 1950s Vol. 1
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:19
Size: 99.2 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal pop
Year: 1989
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. Guy Mitchell - My Heart Cries For You
[2:58] 2. Tony Bennett - Because Of You
[3:08] 3. Frankie Laine - Jezebel
[2:15] 4. Johnnie Ray - The Little White Cloud That Cried
[2:50] 5. Percy Faith & His Orchestra - Delicado
[2:19] 6. The Four Lads - Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
[3:39] 7. Doris Day - Secret Love (78rpm Version)
[2:22] 8. Joan Weber - Let Me Go Lover
[2:30] 9. Rosemary Clooney - Mambo Italiano
[1:39] 10. Fess Parker - The Ballad Of Davy Crockett
[3:01] 11. Mitch Miller & The Gang - The Yellow Rose Of Texas
[3:17] 12. The Four Lads - Moments To Remember
[2:36] 13. Johnnie Ray - Just Walking In The Rain
[2:25] 14. Guy Mitchell - Singing The Blues
[2:25] 15. Ray Conniff - 's Wonderful
[3:00] 16. Johnny Mathis - Chances Are

16 Most Requested Songs of the 1950s, Vol. 1 contains a selection of traditional pop, vocal pop and easy-listening hits from the Columbia Records vaults, including performances from Tony Bennett ("Because of You"), Percy Faith ("Delicado"), Guy Mitchell ("Singing the Blues," "My Heart Cries for You"), Mitch Miller ("Yellow Rose of Texas"), Ray Conniff ("'S Wonderful"), Frankie Laine ("Jezebel"), the Four Lads ("Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," "Moments to Remember"), Johnnie Ray ("Just Walking in the Rain"), Fess Parker ("The Ballad of Davy Crockett") and Johnny Mathis ("Chances Are"). It's not a definitive overview of pop hits of the era, but it's still a nice sampler of some highlights from one of the most popular and successful labels of the decade. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

16 Most Requested Songs: The 1950s Vol. 1

Album: 16 Most Requested Songs: The 1950s Vol 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:15
Size: 101.3 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal pop
Year: 1989
Art: Front

[3:19] 1. Sammy Kaye And His Orchestra - Harbor Lights
[2:48] 2. Guy Mitchell - My Truly, Truly Fair
[3:02] 3. Johnnie Ray - Cry
[2:07] 4. Frankie Laine - I Believe
[3:15] 5. Percy Faith & His Orchestra - Song From Moulin Rouge
[3:03] 6. Tony Bennett - Stranger In Paradise
[2:23] 7. Rosemary Clooney - This Ole House
[2:14] 8. The Four Lads - Skokiaan (South African Song)
[3:06] 9. Doris Day - I'll Never Stop Loving You (78rpm Version)
[3:18] 10. Louis Armstrong - Mack The Knife
[2:50] 11. The Four Lads - Standing On The Corner
[2:03] 12. Doris Day - Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) (Single Version)
[2:23] 13. Terry Gilkyson - Marianne (Single Version)
[3:03] 14. Johnny Mathis - It's Not For Me To Say
[2:28] 15. Marty Robbins - A White Sportcar (And A Pink Carnation)
[2:45] 16. Vic Damone - An Affair To Remember

16 Most Requested Songs of the 1950s, Vol. 2 contains a selection of traditional pop, vocal pop and easy-listening hits from the Columbia Records vaults, including performances from Sammy Kaye ("Harbor Lights"), Guy Mitchell ("My Truly, Truly Fair"), Frankie Laine ("I Believe"), Tony Bennett ("Stranger in Paradise"), Vic Damone ("An Affair to Remember"), Doris Day ("I'll Never Stop Loving You," "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)"), Rosemary Clooney ("This Ole House") and Marty Robbins ("A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)"). It's not a definitive overview of pop hits of the era, but it's still a nice sampler of some highlights from one of the most popular and successful labels of the decade. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

16 Most Requested Songs: The 1950s Vol 2

Monday, June 22, 2015

Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company (10th Anniversary Edition)

Styles: Vocal, R&B, Soul
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:01
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:59)  1. Ray Charles & Norah Jones - Here We Go Again
(3:47)  2. Ray Charles & James Taylor - Sweet Potato Pie
(3:56)  3. Ray Charles & Diana Krall - You Don't Know Me
(4:00)  4. Ray Charles & Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
(3:32)  5. Ray Charles & Natalie Cole - Fever
(4:35)  6. Ray Charles & Bonnie Raitt - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?
(5:01)  7. Ray Charles & Willie Nelson - It Was A Very Good Year
(5:16)  8. Ray Charles & Michael McDonald - Hey Girl
(4:26)  9. Ray Charles & B.B. King - Sinner's Prayer
(4:33) 10. Ray Charles & Gladys Knight - Heaven Help Us All
(4:55) 11. Ray Charles & Johnny Mathis - Over The Rainbow
(3:44) 12. Ray Charles & Van Morrison - Crazy Love (Live)
(5:04) 13. Ray Charles & Poncho Sanchez - Mary Ann
(4:06) 14. Take 6 - Unchain My Heart

"The way these days just rip along, too fast to last, too vast, too strong..." ~ Jackson Browne

The final recording of Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company, enjoys its tenth anniversary. It is striking to consider that it has been over ten years since the death of Ray Charles, one of the most imposing figures in American music. The music made in the second half of the twentieth century has had a remarkable staying power owing partially to its revolutionary quality and the near frantic dedication of the Post-World War II Baby Boom generation. Charles' contributions to this music are without measure. It is useful to consider the role, or roles, played by Charles in American music. He deftly fused the blues with gospel music forming that offshoot of rhythm and blues: soul music. He then took this new eutectoid and mashed it up with jazz, creating an earthy humus. Once he had done this, he took on country and western music, infusing that mostly-white genre with the same soul music he previously created, resulting in the groundbreaking Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (ABC, 1962). Charles' reach was long and deep. 

Genius Loves Company is Charles' valedictory. It was recorded between June 2003 and March 2004, with Charles passing away from liver disease on June 10, 2004. While Charles' health was certainly questionable during recording, there is no indication of diminished capacity. His singing is robust and vibrant, overt and assertive. Charles had to have his eye on the end but he was never going to let on. If anything can be said of Charles' singing voice, it is that he "became more himself" as he aged. If Johnny Cash's late voice and appearance were those of an Old Testament prophet, then Ray Charles in autumn was a dying Mozart composing his sunny Clarinet Concerto less in defiance than acceptance.

Duet recordings, pitting old masters with contemporary musicians, are nothing new. Tony Bennett has made a cottage industry of them (and not to any bad effect at that). Time was of the essence for Charles and what better a love letter to his mastery than for him to share the stage with so many like-minded musicians who admired him so. It was because of this programming, the chosen artists and some shrewd marketing that Genius Loves Company was Charles' first top ten recording in 40 years. One of the biggest criticisms of the Charles biopic Ray was that the story ended 40 years early. My argument would be, "what was there left for Ray Charles to do?" This is an album of artists' collaborative praise for a fellow artist. Programming for the original recording was superb as was duet partner and song choice. Norah Jones, a closet country queen masquerading as a jazz artist, is a perfect foil to Charles on "Here We Go Again." Broad country block chords and Jones' creamy voice properly accent Charles' sacred sandpaper tone. 

Charles is most simpatico with his near contemporaries. "Fever" with Natalie Cole and "Heaven Help Us All" with Gladys Knight are love fests. Charles digs deep with BB King (and Lucille) on "Sinner's Prayer" and Bonnie Raitt on "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind." Raitt's signature slide guitar, ever influenced by Lowell George, is captured beautifully sonically. Ray Charles possessed a stylistic depth and breadth with few peers. When considering who could step in and accept the mantle from Charles after his death, I posited two names, both gratefully represented here. Willie Nelson has had as varied a career as Charles, sampling and then mastering every genre attempted. The two duet on a song closely associated with another such kindred spirit, Frank Sinatra. "It was a Very Good Year" is an unexpected luxury of artistic irony and grace). Van Morrison shares and ultimately offers his "Crazy Love" as a gift to Charles, the two crossing traditions with all we have in common.  The present Deluxe Edition sports a piquant "Mary Ann" with percussionist Poncho Sanchez and an awesome "Unchain My Heart" with Take 6. An hour-long DVD detailing the making of Genius Loves Company is a bit of gravy for this Fall class. Happy Birthday, Genius Loves Company... it has been a very good year. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/ray-charles-genius-love-company--10th-anniversary-deluxe-edition-by-c-michael-bailey.php
 
Personnel: Ray Charles: vocals, keyboards; Ray Charles-vocals, piano; Norah Jones, James Taylor, Diana Krall, Elton John, Natalie Cole, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mathis, Van Morrison-vocal; B.B. King, guitar, vocal; Billy Preston-organ; Poncho Sanchez: percussion; Take 6; 63-piece orchestra; others.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Johnny Mathis - Close To You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1970
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 37:00
Size: 59,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:28)  1. They Long To Be Close To You
(2:41)  2. Evil Ways
(3:13)  3. Come Saturday Morning
(2:44)  4. Yellow Days
(2:49)  5. Pieces Of Dreams
(4:06)  6. Song Of Joy
(3:37)  7. Everything Is Beautiful
(3:26)  8. The Long And Winding Road
(3:18)  9. Why Can't I Touch You
(3:33) 10. Wave
(4:00) 11. Until It's Time For You To Go

One of the last and most popular in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the rock-dominated 1960s, Johnny Mathis concentrated on romantic readings of jazz and pop standards for the ever-shrinking adult contemporary audience of the '60s and '70s. Though he debuted with a flurry of singles chart activity, Mathis later made it big in the album market, where a dozen of his LPs hit gold or platinum and over 60 made the charts. While he concentrated on theme-oriented albums of show tunes and traditional favorites during the '60s, he began incorporating soft rock by the '70s and remained a popular concert attraction well into the '90s. Unsurprisingly, given his emphasis on long sustained notes and heavy vibrato, Mathis studied with an opera coach prior to his teenage years, and was almost lured into the profession; his other inspirations were the smoother crossover jazz vocalists of the 1940s Nat "King" Cole, Billy Eckstine, and Lena Horne. Mathis was an exceptional high-school athlete in San Francisco, but was wooed away from a college track scholarship and a potential spot on the Olympic squad by the chance to sing. He was signed to a management contract by club owner Helen Noga, who introduced the singer to George Avakian, jazz producer for Columbia Records. Avakian signed him and used orchestras conducted by Teo Macero, Gil Evans, and John Lewis to record Mathis' self-titled debut album in 1957. Despite the name talent and choice of standards, it was mostly ignored upon release.

Columbia A&R executive Mitch Miller known for his desperately pop-slanted Sing Along albums and TV show decided the only recourse was switching Mathis to Miller's brand of pop balladry, and the formula worked like a charm; the LP Wonderful Wonderful didn't include but was named after a Top 20 hit later in 1957, which was followed by the number five "It's Not for Me to Say" and his first number one, "Chances Are." From that point on, Johnny Mathis concentrated strictly on lush ballads for adult contemporary listeners.

Though he charted consistently, massive hit singles were rare for Johnny Mathis during the late '50s and '60s half of his career Top Ten output had occurred in 1957 alone so he chose to focus instead on the burgeoning album market, much like Frank Sinatra, his main rival during the late '50s as the most popular traditional male vocalist. Mathis moved away from show tunes and traditional pop into soft rock during the '70s, and found his second number one single, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late," in 1978. Recorded as a duet with Deniece Williams, the single prompted Mathis to begin trying duets with a variety of partners (including Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, and Nana Mouskouri), though none of the singles enjoyed the success of the original. 

Mathis continued to release and sell albums throughout the '90s his fifth decade of recording for Columbia  and beyond, among them 1998's Because You Loved Me: Songs of Diane Warren and 2000's Mathis on Broadway. Mathis followed the Broadway album with 2002's The Christmas Album and 2005's Isn't it Romantic: The Standards Album, both of which found the iconic vocalist in fine form. In 2008, Mathis released the Walter Afanasieff-produced and arranged A Night to Remember, his first straight-ahead adult contemporary album in over a decade. Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville, Mathis' first full-length album of country music, appeared in September of 2010. ~ Bio  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Johnny-Mathis/e/B000APEDOO

Monday, May 12, 2014

Johnny Mathis - Let It Be Me - Mathis In Nashville

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:14
Size: 105,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. What a Wonderful World
(3:26)  2. Let It Be Me
(3:14)  3. Make The World Go Away
(3:24)  4. Crazy
(3:30)  5. Southern Nights
(3:26)  6. You Don't Know Me
(3:02)  7. Lovin' Arms
(4:32)  8. Shenandoah
(3:29)  9. We Must Be Lovin' Right
(3:10) 10. I Can't Stop Loving You
(3:34) 11. Love Me Tender
(2:53) 12. Please Help Me, I'm Falling
(4:28) 13. What a Wonderful World - Christmas Version


For Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville, Johnny assembled a handpicked group of the finest musicians in Nashville to record an album that is devoid of modern studio tricks. The tracks which include What a Wonderful World featuring Lane Brody and Let it be me featuring Alison Krauss were recorded live in the studio over the course of a week. The approach to these country standards is sympathetic to the original arrangements, the manner in which the players musically interrelate allows for a refreshing openness and transparency that supports, but never overwhelms the vocal performance. Mathis in Nashville makes the point that sometimes simplicity is the ultimate in sophistication.    ~ Editorial Reviews   http://www.amazon.com/Let-It-Be-Me-Nashville/dp/B003WKA85M

Personnel: John Willis (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin); Fred Mollin (acoustic guitar, electric sitar, percussion); Brent Mason (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (pedal steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Jim Hoke (harmonica); Jeff Taylor (accordion); John Jarvis (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Gary Prim (organ, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer); Eddie Bayers (drums); Jaime Babbitt, Troy Johnson, The Johnsonaires, Lane Brody, Russell Terrell, Tania Hancheroff (background vocals).