Entertainment Magazine
The Master's Back!
Columbia Records Set to Release
New Johnny Mathis CD
Isn't It Romantic:
The Standards Album
Featuring Classic Compositions Handpicked by Mathis
In Stores Tuesday, February 1, 2005
 NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Records is set to release Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album, Johnny Mathis's new album of standards, performed with his peerless and ageless style.
The recording sessions were produced, arranged and conducted by Grammy winner Jorge Calandrelli. Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album will be released on Tuesday, February 1, 2005.
Johnny Mathis will perform songs from Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album, as well as classics from his timeless repertoire, at select venues in 2005 (see performance schedule following).
On Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album, Mathis -- whose career with Columbia Records dates back to 1957's breakout, "Chances Are," his first #1 single and signature tune -- brings his intimate vocal mastery to 10 shimmering compositions written by some of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Mathis, one of the most popular traditional male pop vocalists in history, breathes new life into these 10 classic selections, each song hand-picked by Mathis himself from his personal record collection, combining a freshness of style and approach with his inimitable warmth and reassuring familiarity.
Songs on Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album include Roger's and Hart's "Isn't It Romantic," George & Ira Gershwin's "Love Is Here To Stay," Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Dindi," Lerner & Lowe's "Almost Like Being In Love," and Harold Arlen's immortal "Over The Rainbow," performed here by Johnny Mathis and Ray Charles (the duet also appears on Charles' Grammy-nominated Genius Loves Company album). On his new album, Mathis also delivers a tender performance of pop songwriter Paul Williams' children's classic, "The Rainbow Connection," originally written for The Muppets.
Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album is executive produced by Jay Landers (Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Julio Iglesias, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion/Peabo Bryson) & Edward Blau.
It takes a classic to sing a classic and Johnny Mathis has set the standard for traditional pop vocalists. Over the course of his career, he has earned 26 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA. Released to stores on April 14, 1958, Johnny's Greatest Hits peaked at #1 and spent an astounding 490 weeks -- more than 9 years! -- on the Billboard 200 best-selling albums chart.
"Entire generations have loved ... and fallen in love to his music," writes Jay Landers in his liner notes for Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album. "He doesn't so much sing a song as caress it. His emotional connection to the material ... especially the good songs ... the well-written turn of phrase and haunting melody ... his oneness with the words and music, is somehow instinctually absorbed by the listener. It has been that way for nearly half a century ... and we can safely assume that it will always be so ... ."
http://www.johnnymathis.net/
http://www.columbiarecords.com/
Source: Columbia Records
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Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album CD
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Johnny Mathis
Live Performances - 2005
January 29, 2005 Greenville, SC Peace Center for the Performing Arts
January 31, 2005 Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Performing Arts Center
February 11, 2005 Brooks, CA Cache Creek Casino
February 13, 2005 Redwood City, CA Fox Theatre
March 18, 2005 Washington, DC Kennedy Center
May 13, 2005 Newark, NJ New Jersey Performing Arts Center
May 15, 2005 Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Center
June 3 & 4, 2005 Atlantic City, NJ Caesars Atlantic City
June 24 & 25, 2005 Baltimore, MD Meyerhoff Symphony
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16 Most Requested Songs CD
It's been suggested that almost as many baby boomers were conceived to the romantic sounds of Johnny Mathis's voice as to Sinatra's--and when you consider that Johnny's Greatest Hits stayed on Billboard's Top 40 chart for 178 weeks beginning in '58 (that's more than twice as long as Dark Side of the Moon, folks!), it's easy to understand why.
Sony has used this "16 Most Requested" routine on a number of their easy-listening vocalists (including Sinatra and Andy Williams), but this one is special in that it takes the cream of Mathis's Greatest Hits album and rounds it out with his 1970s take on several movie theme hits, including Love Story and Romeo & Juliet. A truly unique and romantic sound. --Bill Holdship
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