Warm/Swing Softly

Columbia has repackaged Johnny Mathis' sophomore album, Warm, no less than three times. Warm is an example of the classic romantic mood that made Mathis a superstar. The lush, romantic Warm includes "My One and Only Love" as well as "A Handful of Stars," "By Myself," "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," "Then I'll Be Tired of You," "I'm Glad There Is You," and "While We're Young." A classic Mathis album with a title track that ranks, with "Misty," as one of his best. This repackaging is with the 1958 album Swing Softly, an upbeat album of jazzy standards by Harold Arlen, Alan Jay Lerner, James Van Heusen, and Cole Porter, among others. Warm/Swing Softly is a very good repackaging of Warm because they demonstrate his range in the romantic, vocal pop genre. Though Mathis recorded many soft ballads, this collection showcases his full command of both jazz and pop standards. Released in the '70s as a double album called Warm and Tender and again with Open Fire, Two Guitars. ~ JT Griffith