Mathis On Broadway

Mathis On Broadway

Fans of Johnny Mathis have had to wait a long time--since the legendary <I>Ballads and Rhythms of Broadway</I> from 1960, in fact--for a recording of the singer performing nothing but Broadway tunes. In <I>Mathis on Broadway</I>, he turns his attention to the musical as it has developed in the last two decades, with very pleasing results. Instead of falling into the aging crooner syndrome--and its predictably ridiculous attempts at sounding hip--Mathis can bring convincing personality to an anthem like "Seasons of Love" from <I>Rent</I> and at the same time play off Nell Carter's gritty emotionalism with flair. His gentle vibrancy even gives life to the musical clichés Frank Wildhorn stitches together for <I>Jekyll and Hyde</I>'s "Once upon a Dream." Mathis is especially wonderful with Sondheim, including a song from the unjustly neglected but marvelous <I>Passion</I> and "Children Will Listen" from <I>Into the Woods</I>--the latter embedded in a tune from <I>Ragtime</I> and featuring a duet with Betty Buckley. Whatever the material, Mathis reliably recoins it with his trademark suavity, but also with a sense of entering into the given character and his situation--a pity then that we only get 33 minutes of music, since Mathis provides the kind of company you don't want to leave. <I>--Tom May</I>