Johnny Mathis - Heart Of A Woman/When Will I See You Again/I Only Have Eyes For You/Mathis Is (bonus tracks)

Four great albums from the 70s soul years of Johnny Mathis – all brought together in a single set, and with bonus cuts too! First up is The Heart Of A Woman – on which the voice of Johnny Mathis meets the soulful arrangements of Paul Riser and HB Barnum – all wrapped up with Johnny Bristol production! Johnny's tender voice, the gently sweeping arrangements and soul-rooted production make this one a gem. Titles include "Woman Woman", "Sail On White Moon", "Feel Like Makin Love", "It's Gone", "Memories Don't Leave Like People Do", "Strangers In Dark Corners", and "The Way We Planned It". 

When Will I See You Again finds Johnny taking on a comparably diverse batch of tunes, from a bright & breezy take on the Gamble & Huff penned title track, to a soaring Roger Nichols/Paul Williams medley, to more intimate strings-backed numbers. Another sweet set from a legendary vocalist, and the titles includes "Mandy", "Nice To Be Around", "You're Right As Rain", "You And Me Against The World", "The Things I Might've Been" and more. 

I Only Have Eyes For You has Johnny finding a new sort of groove with arranger Gene Page! Page had done funkier work in other settings, but here he mixes up soul and strings in a nice balance of modes for Mathis – blending ballads with a few gentle groovers, the latter of which really have Johnny taking off in great new directions – and finding a way to hold onto the spotlight as the 70s move on! Titles include "Do Me Wrong But Do Me", "The Hungry Years", "I Only Have Eyes For You", "Do You Know Where You're Going To", "Ooh What We Do", "When A Child Is Born", and "Every Time You Touch Me I Get High". 

Mathis Is has Johnny working with lots of strong Philly soul currents – thanks to arrangements and production from Thom Bell – which makes for a much more soul-based record than usual! Titles include "Hung Up In The Middle Of Love", "I Don't Want To Say No", "Sweet Love Of Mine", "I'll Make You Happy", and "As Long As We're Together". 2CD set features bonus tracks "Fifty Fifty" and "Nothing In This Whole World".  ~ www.dustygroove.com