Sing The Ultimate American Songbook Vol. 1

Performer: Tony Bennett
Producer: Danny Bennett; Mitch Miller; Ernie Altschuler; Al Ham; Howard A. Roberts; Andre Fischer; Didier C. Deutsch (Compilation)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: The evergreen singer and definition of a class act Tony Bennett performs 15 songs by some of America's best-known tunesmiths, including Cole Porter's "Anything Goes," Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'," and George and Ira Gershwin's "They Can't Take That Away From Me," in this continuation of Bennett's long-running tradition of recording classic 20th-century pop material. He's also joined by the Canadian singer K.D. Lang on a sumptuous version of the big band standard "Moonglow." A different sort of Tony Bennett compilation than the usual, Sings the Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1 packages 15 performances, spanning five decades, that comprise, from Bennett's brief notes, "A revolution in popular music that will never be topped." (He's speaking, of course, about the American songbook and not his performing career.) While listeners won't find "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" or even "Cold, Cold Heart," the names of the composers -- Porter, Kern, Gershwin, Mercer -- are familiar, as are the song titles. Still, compiler Didier C. Deutsch chose some very obscure performances to illustrate Bennett's take on the Great American Songbook, including a ghostly "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" from 1958, "Ain't Misbehavin'" from 1964, and a 1971 version of "That Old Black Magic" with help from Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond (the first two make their wide CD debut here). Of course, there are plenty of familiar items as well, including "The Way You Look Tonight" (from the 1997 film My Best Friend's Wedding); two songs from his 1993 Sinatra tribute Perfectly Frank; and "Anything Goes," although this version comes from a 1962 live album. The happy result is a compilation that can be enjoyed equally by long-time devotees as well as first-time fans. ~ John Bush

One of the finest voices of 20th century American pop, Tony Bennett began his career in the '50s, under the watchful eye of producer Mitch Miller, recording huge hits such as "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and "Because of You." In 1958, his album BASIE SWINGS-BENNETT SINGS was a precursor to later jazz-based work. That same year, "Firefly" was Bennett's last US Top 40 entry until 1962, when he made a major comeback with the Grammy-winning "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." In '93 and '94 he was awarded Grammys for his albums PERFECTLY FRANK and STEPPIN' OUT.

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