I’ll Buy You A Star – JOHNNY MATHIS***

I’ll Buy You A Star/Stairway To The Stars/When My Sugar Walks Down The Street/Magic Garden/Smile/Oh How I Try/Ring The Bell/Love Look Away/Sudden Love/The Best Is Yet To Come/Warm & Willing/My Heart & I

You knew you had arrived as a vocalist when your record company teamed you up with the leading arranger Nelson Riddle. I’ll Buy You A Star comprised a combination of swing tunes and ballads. (US:38 UK:18)

“There are few singers whose appeal transcends the so-called barriers of time, style, and era, as this velvet-voiced pop crooner.”

“This album is a disappointing offering from a vocalist unsuited to the style and swing of the American Songbook. The arrangements lack the sparkle of Riddle's best work and. although good by ordinary standards, do not sparkle in the same way as his work with greats of the genre. Mathis is poor on the uptempo tracks, showing little understanding of the lyrics and lacking the snap of a dedicated swing artist. The ballad tunes are the best cuts, but Mathis' vibrato style comes over as over-mannered and only the quality, shimmering arrangements elevate the songs from being completely ordinary.”

“The ballads come off better than the swing numbers, but When My Sugar Walks Down The Street is a terrific number. With regard to the ballads, Mr. Riddle was on the money with each one, the standouts include Love Look Away, Stairway To The Stars and the gentle Magic Garden.”

“His ballads on this album are pretty good, although not the best of selections, Stairway To The Stars being worth the price of admission. But the swing tracks? Johnny is not a swinger, and shouldn't try masquerading as one, as his voice is completely unsuited to this style of music. He's modulating his voice up, down, left and right, all over the board. It seems he has no idea where to go with the lyrics on the swing tunes. He really needs to stick to what he can do well: singing with the sweetest, smoothest, softest voice on love songs.”

“This kind of album was very popular in the early 60s and Riddle was the best arranger of this kind of music in the book. Mathis, obviously feeling the need to jump on the bandwagon, fails to score with this effort and Riddle is unable to work fluently with this unsuitable vocalist.”