Duets II

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

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This collection of "Duets II" to celebrate Bennett's 85th birthday is so far better than the original "Duets" album of five years ago that it is difficult to believe that five years have actually passed and that this album isn't actually taken from undiscovered recordings of Bennett during his comeback years of the late eighties and nineties. It isn't, of course, having been recorded earlier this year. I suspect the reasons this album works so well are two. First, the selection of singers to team up with Bennett seems to have been done less with star power in mind and more with careful consideration of the kinds of singers who work well with his voice. Second, the songs themselves are no longer (for the most part) the "greatest hits" seen to poor effect on "Duets". Rather they are songs carefully chosen to show off Bennett's ageing, but still emotive and powerful, voice. It can be no coincidence that many of these songs are the staples that make up his present day concerts. There is no question that Bennett has sounded better in his career - it would be ridiculous if an 85 year old man sounded as good as he did at 45. The amazing thing is that he still sounds great. Not just great for 85, but great.

Some particular highlights on this album include:

- The Lady Is A Tramp (Bennett and Lady Gaga both swing masterfully, and it's on this track that Bennett sounds youngest and most carefree)
- Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Bennett and Michael Bublé clearly appreciate each other's style, and push each other along - again Bennett sounds vibrant and fresh)
- Blue Velvet (an inspired idea to bring back k.d. lang for her fifth appearance on one of Bennett's albums, as her voice blends perfectly with Bennett's)
- Who Can I Turn To (sung with Queen Latifah, it is amazing that Bennett still has the power to sing this in the same style if not quite in the same key as he first sang it in 1964)

There are also a few surprises - not being a big fan of "popera", it was surprising to me that the duets on This Is All I Ask (with Josh Groban) and Stranger In Paradise (with Andrea Bocelli) work so well. Both singers seem to have toned it down just enough to meld harmoniously with Bennett's rougher tones. Not as much as Mariah Carey has toned it down though, in what is a duet of taste and style on When Do The Bells Ring For Me.

The album isn't perfect. How Do You Keep The Music Playing is an embarassment, as Aretha Franklin fights Bennett all the way with an infuriating caterwaul that completely wipes him out at the climax of the song. Nor is Body And Soul with Amy Winehouse the posthumous towering classic that everyone seems determined to make it, although it is a perfectly pleasant rendering, and it is poignant to hear Winehouse apparently back on the way to health and performance.

All in all, an enjoyable album that has moments of real and lasting beauty, and for the rest of the time provides a glimpse of one of the best remaining interpreters of popular song, who is, although not quite at the top of his game, certainly still playing the game very well indeed.

Bought for christmas, this album made mum and dad sing and dance to all the sounds of there youth. It has certanly made them feel 20 yrs younger best buy !!!!

Tony Bennett, with his smooth, popular-jazz style (the kind that needs the voice announcing it to have its own moustache and scotch on the rocks) has just released "another" collection, the aptly-titled "Duets II". But in all honesty, I'm left wondering if he's misjudged here, as this is an hour of much of the same, punctuated by the occasional bright moment.
Opening with a startling revelation, "The Lady Is A Tramp" has Lady Gaga drop her increasingly shrug-inducing electro-pop briefly to lend her vocal tones to this old standard, but although Bennett is at home, her voice is somewhat too clinical for the chemistry needed to give this cheeky song its lift.
"One For My Baby" with John Mayer has a better louche feel to it with the slow tempo and speakeasy vibe giving it a smooth and lush touch. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" tries for a similar mood, but feels let down by once again a certain sterility. Michael Bublé gives it welly and the brass backing sweep their melodies and pound their rhythm stabs, but the sum of the parts feels contrived.
As for "On The Sunny Side Of The Street", I am confused. Willie Nelson's dusty drawl is entirely out of place, and the whole affair is limping from the handicap of a total mismatch. On the other hand, the cod-operatic Josh Groban number is a case of over-egging the cake.
Another legend in her own right, Aretha Franklin, appears on "How Do You Keep The Music Playing", giving a soulful grace to the song. Her performance is simply wonderful, outshining Bennett at his own game with passion and melodicism as opposed to experience, but once again the setting is his own and proves too tame to let his guest come into their own.
K.D. Lang's turn on "Blue Velvet" is a surprise gem - as a ballad it captures a romance of the classic silver screen variety, with sighing violins and Lang's rich vocals furnishing the song with an MGM finesse. Queen Latifah too shines with her contribution in a way that recalls Ella Fitzgerald. Contrasting nicely is the sparse fragility of "The Girl I Love", but the old/young vocal match between the star and guest gets unnervingly Lolita-esque at points and the strings get overbearing for Sheryl Crow's delicate purr. Same with Norah Jones' turn, despite her smoked-silk vocals being one of the better matches with Bennett's orchestra.
Now for the big one: "Body And Soul" with Amy Winehouse. And I have to say, she is one of the better guests here due to her being at home in the jazz song, although the big-band orchestrated sound simply drags down her smoky, slurred voice to domestic levels. She always needed the music around her to have the same desolate decadence as she delivered, and so all the soaring strings and expansive piano comes across as superfluous and crass, despite Bennett understandably being right at home in it.
Overall, I'm not sure what to make of this album.
Some duets work, others don't, and I can't help but feel that many guests simply aren't suited to Tony Bennett's musical backing and the way he does his songs. Those with passion are in danger of setting the velvet drapes alight and are thus dampened by a heavy sense of studio hands.
Plus, I have no idea who would listen to this. The hip young things might get the fidgets in an hour of smooth jazz, and those who love the genre would get put off by the lacklustre outings that seem to be there purely for the name of the guest involved.
And overall, it's well-crafted and the product of expertise but simply sterile and blandly "emotive", like listening to every classic Hollywood soundtrack ever made constantly for a month. K H-Halinski

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4.0 out of 5 stars Great artists, great album
Bought this as a Christmas present for the wife, she loves it!!!

When the rest of the family hasn't got it on!!

Published 9 days ago by Paul Gullick

1.0 out of 5 stars Duets 11
I was looking forward to receiving this CD but what a disappointment! I keep trying to listen to it to see if it grows on me, but its a slow one! Not recommended

Published 11 days ago by ali

5.0 out of 5 stars Swinging Tony just keeps going on and on..
Tony Bennett is amazing, his voice is as rich and true as ever and he knows exactly how to adapt the music so that it stays within his 80 year old range. Read more

Published 13 days ago by S. A. Thompson

5.0 out of 5 stars Tony Bennett - This Man Rocks
How many singers of today will be around as long as Tony Bennett and still be able to make you smile and tingle when they sing? Read more

Published 15 days ago by Ken Spicer

5.0 out of 5 stars cdr
A superb album with a number of other artists not playing in their normal genre but all shine through none the less. Easy going with great arrangements and I'm playing it to death.

Published 19 days ago by cd

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
this recording shows the many varied vocal styles.tony bennet makes it all sound so easy even with him getting on a bit

Published 22 days ago by Jamesmcrobbie

3.0 out of 5 stars Iliked it better than the person i bought it for
Some of the songs not too bad but my husband is a Tony Bennett fan and he vvas not impressed

Published 22 days ago by Debs16

5.0 out of 5 stars tony bennet duets
as with the first duets album, simply the best. this man knows his stuff. and hearing such modern up to date popstars singing with him just makes it sublime. Read more

Published 23 days ago by tree

5.0 out of 5 stars Croon along with the all-time greats.
Such a great range of singers and songs combined on this CD make it a pleasure to sit down and listen! Even the little booklet is well-executed and deserves high praise. Read more

Published 24 days ago by Rev. J. A. Campbell

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
If you like Tony Bennett then you will like this album, particularly like the duet with Amy Winehouse. What a talent we have lost!

Published 25 days ago by Cazzie

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