The Great American Songbook [Box Set] [Box]

Performer: Rod Stewart
Artist: Cher; Queen Latifah; Eric Clapton; Stevie Wonder; Bette Midler; Dolly Parton; Diana Ross; George Benson; Christina Aguilera; Chris Botti; Roy Hargrove; David Sanborn; Dave Koz; Elton John
Producer: Phil Ramone; Richard Perry; Clive Davis; Steve Tyrell; Evan Rogers
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Rod Stewart (vocals); Dolly Parton, Elton John, Queen Latifah, Stevie Wonder, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Cher (vocals); Eric Clapton, George Benson (guitar); Dave Koz (saxophone); Chris Botti (trumpet). Those who still think of Rod Stewart as a rebellious rock-&-roll bad boy haven't been paying much attention to his transformation into a purveyor of classics-oriented, adult contemporary fare in the early 2000s. The shaggy-haired one now appears in suits and ties on the covers of his GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOKS series, which present his distinctive, raspy voice performing everything from "Stardust" to "It Had To Be You" to "My Funny Valentine." THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK box collects all four of Stewart's SONGBOOK albums in one set (the box includes a full-color booklet with photographs and an essay). And with a bonus DVD that features selections from Stewart's 2004 appearance at the Apollo Theater and one of his videos, this deluxe package makes a great gift for fans of standards and Stewart, who handles the material with passion and aplomb. A month after Rod Stewart's fourth volume of his ongoing (some might say never-ending) Great American Songbook series was released, all four of the albums were rounded up in a cardboard box and released as The Great American Songbook. Apart from a biographical essay from Alan Light and a couple of photographs, there is no new material here -- even the cover image is recycled from the 2004 DVD One Night Only: Rod Stewart Live at Royal Albert Hall -- which means that anybody who already has these albums will have no need to pick this up. And while it could be argued convincingly that if you have one of the Great American Songbooks, you have them all -- each record has exactly the same sound, style, and attitude -- it is also true that if you like one, you'd like them all. And if you've liked any of them yet haven't gotten around to purchasing them quite yet, this box set does provide a convenient way to get them all in one handy package. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rod Stewart first gained notoriety as vocalist in the Jeff Beck Group in the late 1960s. He went on to sing for raucous bar-room rockers the Faces and started a simultaneous solo career that eventually eclipsed that of his band. Moving from folk-rock through pop, disco, jazz and more, Stewart carved out a multi-decade career as a strutting, soul-influenced singer with equal amounts of talent and charisma, and piled up an astonishing number of hit singles and platinum albums. Stewart's career has seen more than one rebirth; in 1993 his acoustic UNPLUGGED performance brought him renewed acclaim as a sensitive song interpreter. Ten years later, with the help of Clive Davis, he gained even more notoriety as a smooth crooner of orchestrated jazz standards.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25