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29 of 35 found the following review helpful:
What a Disappointment!Oct 24, 2006
By bals gal Let me preface this rating by saying that I have been a Tony Bennett fan for over 50 years. His songs are magnificent. However, this cd did not impress me at all. The artists added nothing to the music which was extremely draggy, slow, and rather boring. It just didn't have the "umph" Sinatra's "Duets" had.
45 of 56 found the following review helpful:
I expected moreOct 01, 2006
By S. Costantino
"Uncle Scooter"
To me, a duet album should technically, at least some of the time, consist of the singers singing together, not just exchanging verses. That is technically all this cd is. The cd as a whole is somewhat of a disappoint ment. In my opinion, it is so mediocre, that it also seems too long. I won't say which songs I think it could do without, but at 18 songs, and nothing truly breathtaking, it really could have been made into a 12 to 14 song disc, and possibly not seemed so....tedious for lack of a better word.
There are some highlights, and to me, some embarassing moments. The first 4 tracks are a trainwreck in my opinion. The James Taylor track, seems so forced, its almost comical. The 5th track, with Juanes, was an improvement. I was going to actually turn the cd off. SHADOW, to me is not a stellar song, but for some reason, this relative newbie, with Bennett, worked really well. So I was expecting more good things to come. Sir Elton. What can one say. He is an icon. I didn't expect alot from this, so I wasn't disappointed. Its not awful, its not great, it just is. Billy Joel. Let me state, I am NOT a Joel fan, at all. I was extremely surprised to find myself actually like this one. They seemed to have a bit more stylishness going on. This was the first track I didn't find forced , at all. McGraw. This to me was an odd one. I am a fan of his, so expected to like it. To me, it almost sounded like they were singing 2 different arrangements. Celine. I expected Grandstanding,
and I got it. It explains why after her debut cd, I lost interest. Krall. Not a fan, but this arrangement, and their deliveries worked rather well together. This one could really grow on me, im sure. Stevie W. I always like Tony singing this song. I expected a different arrangement, and was initially disappointed. I was floored at the end Stevie still has amazing range. This is the 2nd highpoint to the cd, Elvis C. Why is he even here? I mean, vocally, he is not a great singer. I almost felt like this was karaoke. KD. The Duet CD was far superior to this track. Buble. Vocally, these 2 match better than any of the other
teamings. I am not too thrilled with the song choice, almost wish they did a smokier ballad. Sting can sing, really well. Its just not apparent here. This song is really messy sounding. The arrangement is kind of muddy, and slow. Bono. Its amazing to me how well Bono can actually sing. I mean, he spends alot of u2 time yelling lyrics, allbeit well. Here he actually croons. Another high point for me. Legend. I went into this one not wanting to like it. I never cared for the song. the arrangement ws ok, but vocally, unspectacular. A missmatch really. San Francisco. Its a great song. Bennetts own, and a different interpretation, by the man himself, was welcomed. Not as good as the original, but still incredible. George M. First of all, I have always thought this song was boring, and overrated. George Michael to me, di his best work, when he still called himself Wham. I didn't expect to like it.
I did, alot. Vocally, they are on different keys, but together, they work so well. GM still has a really rich voice, which surprised me. This may actually be my favorite.
My suggestion is listen to the clips, and buy the individual tracks that interest you. To be honest, I will probably sell, or give mine away, once I put them in my system. Not enough here for me, to listen to the whole cd repeatedly.
32 of 39 found the following review helpful:
DisappointingOct 02, 2006
By Edwin Mahler
"Edwin"
As a confirmed Tony Bennett fan one cannot help but be pained and disappointed by the quality of many of the cuts on this latest album. Bennett and some of his collaborators have shamelessly promoted this album as something special and unique. Instead one hears an aging Bennett who tries to keep the magic going with younger artists. Bennett's vocal range is much diminshed, and no audio tricks can disguise the sad fading of a great vocal instrument. Many of the songs offered are rendered by Bennett in almost a speaking voice, virtually "scat" style. Indeed, except for the duet with Stevie Wonder, one can hear only faint traces of the penetrating room filling voice that Bennett once had. Furthermore, the other artists are unable to raise the general level of this recording, and the arrangements-in general-are formulaic and trite. To hear the current album is to hear the latest attempt of an artist to capture one more "pay day". There comes a time for even the great ones to "call it a day". For Tony Bennett the music has ended, but the memory truly lives on.
Edwin Mahler
19 of 22 found the following review helpful:
Not Up to HypeMar 29, 2007
By B. Goldberg I fell prey to the advertising, and found the songs on the disappointing side of enjoyable. More a gimmick than a good listening experience.
41 of 51 found the following review helpful:
I'm sure it looked good on paperOct 02, 2006
By Rich Given
"richgiven"
Tony Bennett's 80th birthday deserves commemoration by something better than this collection of his signature tunes recorded with duet partners obviously chosen more for their value as marketing hooks than than their interpretive skills with the great american songbook.
The pairing of Bennett with Barbra Streiand on Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" yields a surprisingly uninspired collaboration. James Taylor, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and The Dixie Chicks are so far out of their depths with this material and in Bennett's company that the results are borderline painful.
You have to get half way through the collection before one of these recordings truly hits the bullseye, with Diana Krall joining Bennett brilliantly on Cy Coleman's classic "The Best is Yet to Come." Along the way, Tim McGraw is a worthy complement to Hank William's "Cold, Cold Heart" and k.d. Lang and Michael Buble provide competent support on "Because of You" and "Just in Time" respectively.
But the majority of this album's 19 tracks constitute little more than a poorly executed marketing gimmick with artists who do not belong on the same record as Mr. Bennett, or for that matter anywhere in the vicinity of these great songs.
based on 277 reviews
( 277 customer reviews )
