AMG Review of Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration

John Bush
All Music Guide

Johnny Mathis' best Christmas recordings date from the late '50s, when he recorded Merry Christmas for Mitch Miller and Columbia, and from the mid-'60s, when he recorded The Sounds of Christmas for Mercury. Mathis was a wonderful holiday singer, easily able to summon the congenial warmth and energetic cheerfulness that made his version of "Sleigh Ride" a perennial hit. Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration compiles six songs from that pair of classic records, along with a handful from 1986 and four from the 2000s. Two rarities are also included: a version of "O Tannenbaum" that Mathis recorded with Mannheim Steamroller for their 2004 holiday album, Christmas Celebration, and a duet with Bette Midler ("Winter Wonderland/Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!") that was previously unreleased. The cheer between Mathis and Midler is a little forced, and the disc has plenty of room for a half-dozen more songs from the '50s and '60s, but Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration is a solid collection.