In the Still of the Night

Ebony, Dec, 1989 by Charles L. Sanders

In the Still of the Night

"CONSISTENT greatness" certainly describes the album output of Johnny Mathis. He's now 53 (birthdate: Sept. 30, 1935), and his recently released In the Still of the Night (Columbia OC 44336) is further proof that he's the absolute "king of the hill" among male balladeers. An amazing 28 Mathis albums are still in the Columbia Records catalog, and there are a number of out-of-print early releases that are almost impossible to find. They're now very valuable collector's items. Listen to the classic "Since I Fell for You," "All Alone Am I" and "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" and notice the mellowness and maturity of the Mathis voice, which has been heard for over 30 years. Like a bottle of fine Armagnac, the aging process seems to have wrought a certain kind of magic with this singer, who's in constant demand all over the world. Mathis is now wealthy enough to do what he pleases, and one of those things is making records--great ones, and his legion of fans are surely glad.