Superstar producer/arranger
Thom Bell worked on
Johnny Mathis' 1973 "I'm Coming Home" album, a ten-song project of material composed mostly by
Bell and the late
Linda Creed.
Mathis then brought producer
Jack Gold back for 1975's
Feelings LP, worked with producer
John Florez that same year for the
When Will I See You Again disc, and reunited with
Gold for
I Only Have Eyes for You in 1976 and 1977's
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me. For the most part, these mid-'70s collaborations played it safe, which makes
Bell's return on 1978's
Mathis Is an important but sadly forgotten event in Philly soul history.
Casey James and
Leroy Bell, the authors of
Elton John's Grammy-nominated 1979 Top Ten hit, "Mama Can't Buy You Love," are on board here, only they do their co-writing on
Mathis Is with the master,
Thom Bell. The result is extraordinary music for both
Mathis followers and fans of the Philly sound.
MFSB are on board, as is guitarist
Lee Ritenour and the conga player from the
Janis Joplin Pearl album, Ms.
Bobbye Hall. And they make some exquisite stuff. "Loving You, Losing You" is the essence of that
Thom Bell sound, a co-write by
Thom and
Leroy Bell.
Mathis, of course, made a point of adding the hit songs from this special genre to his repertoire.
Gary Puckett & the Union Gap producer
Jerry Fuller cut "Break Up to Make Up" with
Mathis on 1973's
Killing Me Softly With Her Song album, while
John Florez recorded
the Three Degrees' hit on the aforementioned
When Will I See You Again. For those who adore
the Spinners and
Stylistics, the softer side of
Bell's historic work, this effort is a dreamy mini-masterpiece. It's a shame
Mathis didn't continue this notion over half a dozen albums or so, branching out from the safety of re-recording hits of the time and going back to the thing that made him so popular in the first place: his first-rate work with
Percy Faith,
Nelson Riddle, and
Ray Conniff.
Lou Rawls reinvented himself with the material from these geniuses from Philadelphia while
Bobby Hebb and
Johnny Mathis were involved, but didn't stay in the game long enough to be rewarded as richly as they should have been through the
Thom Bell/
Kenny Gamble/
Leon Huff magic. This album has the elegance found on
Elton John's "Mama Can't Buy You Love" without the drive; it is velvety, smooth and a perfect fit for
Mathis' perfect voice. Urban adult contemporary as classy as
the Delfonics. Very, very nice.