Review: Johnny Mathis offers timeless style in Phoenix
Time stands still for no one, but Johnny Mathis surely has slowed it to a crawl. The crooner, who will turn 80 in September, has the gait and appearance of a much younger man. During his concert on Sunday at the Celebrity Theatre, his voice also sounded remarkably unchanged from recordings he made five decades ago.
His tenor is still hauntingly ethereal, with its distinctive, quivery timbre. It feels odd to describe a man of Mathis’ age as sounding boyish, but that’s what he often brings to mind. Put his quiet intensity and yearning on such dewy-eyed tunes as “Gina” or “When I Fall in Love,” and he creates all the romantic fervor of a love-struck teenager.
The show kicked off promptly at 7 p.m.; a wise move, considering the average age of people in the near-capacity crowd. Mathis, dapper in a suit with no tie, took the stage while a full complement of strings and brass supported him from the orchestra pit.
INTERVIEW: Johnny Mathis to mark 60 years in the biz
Mathis surprised with his opening song, “Life is a Song Worth Singing,” a hypnotic bit of mellow funk that he recorded in 1973. It’s not traditional Mathis by any shot. Philly soul songwriters Thom Bell and Linda Creed wrote the tune, and Teddy Pendergrass later covered it. Mathis had fun with the song, showing off some clipped phrasing and a cool, whispery delivery.
After that, he moved into love-song territory. No surprise there, and Mathis is blessed with the unusual gift of being able to sing several ballads in a row without lulling an audience into lethargy. Of course, his taste in material is superb. He offered more Philly soul in the form of “I’m Stone in Love With You," went Hollywood for "Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and handled Broadway through a dreamy “Stranger in Paradise.” Whatever he sang, the result was usually the same: sheer loveliness.
Always great vocal technician, the prettiness of his delivery can occasionally obscure the meaning of some tunes. "I'm On the Outside (Looking In)" should contain a hint of desperation, but Mathis makes heartbreak sound pleasantly attractive. Most of the time, he is perfectly matched with his material. During his classic "Misty," the audience burst into cheers when he sang “On my own / Would I wander through this wonderland alone?” and effortlessly slid into his upper register. It was a spine-tingling moment.
Mathis varied the tempo with a selection of songs from Brazil that showed how playful he can be with rhythmic tunes. A Henry Mancini medley was gorgeous, starting with the wistful "Two for the Road" and closing with a triumphant "Moon River." Longtime guitarist Gil Reigers accompanied him for three tunes, including a flamenco-flavored "My Foolish Heart" and Albert Hammond's swirling "99 Miles from LA." "The Twelfth of Never" was the high point of Reigers' segment, with his sensitive guitar work underscoring Mathis' tender vocal.
Mathis has always considered himself more of a musician than an entertainer. He is definitely not a ham, offering little chatter from the stage. Frequent cries of "I love you" were heard from the audience, which he usually bypassed. Instead, it all fell back on the voice and Mathis' quiet charisma. That combination has kept audiences enraptured for nearly 60 years; there doesn't seem to be any reason for it to stop now.
The show also pointed out a weird trait of the Mathis career. Despite his massive record sales, Mathis' talents have always seemed a bit unsung. People should be talking about Mathis for a Kennedy Center Honor; yet he has never even won a Grammy. With a forthcoming contemporary album spearheaded by Clive Davis, could a Mathis renaissance be coming? If so, it's surely due.
Comic Gary Mule Deer, a mainstay on '70s talk shows, performed a quick set in the middle of the show. It gave him the evening's best line: "Where else can you get Johnny Mathis to open and close for you?"
Setlist
“Life is a Song Worth Singing”
“I’m Stone in Love With You”
“When I Fall in Love”
“It’s Not For Me to Say”
“Chances Are”
“Gina”
“I’m On the Outside (Looking In)”
“Wild is the Wind”
“Shenandoah”/”Let It Be Me”
“Canto de Ossanha (Let Go)”
Henry Mancini Medley: “Two for the Road” / “Charade” / “Days of Wine and Roses” / “Moon River”
“A Certain Smile”
Break
“Pure Imagination”
“Baubles, Bangles and Beads”
“Stranger in Paradise”
“Secret Love”
“All Alone Am I”
“Wonderful! Wonderful!”
“You’ll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)”
“Misty”
“My Foolish Heart”
“99 Miles from LA”
“The Twelfth of Never”
Brazilian Medley: “Mas Que Nada” / “Felicidade” / “Manha de Carnaval (A Day in the Life of a Fool)” / “Brazil”
Encore
“You’ll Never Know”
Reach the reporter at randy.cordova@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8849. Twitter.com/randy_cordova.