Customer Reviews

Duets: An American Classic

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4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

There are several top-selling singers who mine the Great American Songbook without having an innate understanding of its musical context. The results can consequently amount to contrived posturing as much as singing. Tony Bennett is not one of them as he so completely understands what music works with his sturdy, mellifluous voice that he makes almost everyone else featured on this disc sound vocally compatible even if several are out of their comfort zones. What makes this a better listen than Frank Sinatra's similar efforts in the early nineties is that Bennett recorded all the duets in person with his partners and has figured out how to retro-fit their musical sensibilities with his own. Intriguingly, industry veteran Phil Ramone produced both the Sinatra and Bennett projects.

Things start energetically with a big-band arrangement of "Lullaby of Broadway". The Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines sings with surprising aplomb but only on the first verse, and as a group, they spend the rest of the track mimicking the Andrews Sisters with their WWII-era girl-group background vocals. The cheery "Put on a Happy Face" from "Bye, Bye Birdie" has the normally taciturn James Taylor sounding very Gene Kelly-like and bantering quite easily with Bennett. A melancholy tone seeps into "Because of You", Bennett's first major hit in 1951, with Chris Botti's sad-eyed trumpet and a sonorous K.D. Lang sounding most assured given her previous experience as his partner.

A surprisingly confident Bono extracts the usual gruffness from his arena-rock voice and dexterously matches with Bennett on a sauntering version of "I Wanna Be Around". Elton John provides an unforced swing on the brief "Rags to Riches", while Elvis Costello loosens up considerably with the jazzy arrangement and Hope-Crosby-style bantering of "Are You Havin' Fun Yet?". A smoky-voiced Billy Joel is the ideal partner for the reflective "The Good Life" which soars with their intertwining voices, just as Sting is for a highly dramatic, Weill-style rendition of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" featuring some nice guitar work. As Bennett's youngest partner, John Legend provides energy to spare on an Ella-style "Sing You Sinners", though I wish there was more scatting during the interlude.

The comparatively weaker tracks just miss the mark by mere inches, not miles. As expected, Celine Dion overdoes her part on "If I Ruled the World", and a slightly Latin-tinged "The Shadow of Your Smile" has a lush sound save for Columbian rock singer Juanes' somewhat tinny tone. Stevie Wonder sounds a tad resistant to Bennett's nightclub-style arrangement of his own composition, "For Once In My Life" since he still applies his familiar melisma. Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart" looks to drop its country roots for a more generic treatment until Tim McGraw starts to dip his notes like Williams. And one of the most beautiful love songs on the disc, Ray Noble's "The Very Thought of You", has Bennett sounding velvety smooth in a swooning arrangement but Paul McCartney comparatively stiff with his phrasing a bit off.

The best tracks produce the magic you expect from Bennett when coupled with partners with perfectly complementary styles. Crooner Michael Bublé shows a great affinity for "Just in Time", while the jazzy sass of "The Best Is Yet to Come" benefits considerably from Diana Krall's dusky voice. George Michael makes a welcome return to the pop mainstream on the silky smooth "How Do You Keep the Music From Playing?". Not too surprisingly, the best duet is the lushly orchestrated "Smile" with Bennett and Barbra Streisand alternating verses as if on gossamer wings. Along with Pinchas Zukerman's masterful violin, they make stunning magic together, and the praise they sing to each other at the end seems most justified. Bennett includes a valedictory "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" by himself, beautiful as always and a subtly ironic choice for a duets album.

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.

There's no doubt that Tony knows his business and the types of songs that fit him best. And while this CD is filled with many "superstar" guests singing duets with him, it just seemed lackluster overall.
Practically every song had Tony singing the first verse with the guest artist coming in on the second verse. Both usually wrapped up the song together; but not before verbal praise was dished out from Tony to his co-artist (come on...Stevie Wonder...full???) or vice-versa SOMEplace in the song. Come on...cut the yapping and sing the song already!
This SHOULD have been a much more entertaining CD. Unfortunately, it drags along from start to finish.

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.

Yes, I am another fan who bought into the hype of thinking this CD was one of 2006 best releases. How could you ignore it -- all the ads, billboards, Tony's tireless push on the TV talk shows. On effort alone, I would easily give this CD 5 stars. It's a HUGE, huge undertaking, teaming Tony (a legend himself) with the music biz's biggest legends and newest stars.

But the fact is....Tony Bennett is 80 years old. It's been a while since I listened to his recent recordings, and I was SHOCKED how his voice has deteriorated since his last outing, the wonderful "Art of Romance", released in 2004 when he was in great voice -- GET IT !! The voice is now reduced to a craggy, ragged, and vibrato-heavy fraction of its former self. Perhaps it was Tony's son (a very smart manager) Danny's idea to team his dad with the music biz's biggest stars, where Tony would only work half as hard at singing. Sadly, that still cannot hide the fact Tony is 80-years old and sounds like it. I say this in the fondest way when I think Mr. Bennett should seriously entertain the idea of retiring gracefully. He has one of the best bodies of work in the music biz (spanning over 50 years). Why ruin his stellar reputation and legacy with disappointing recordings such as this?

This CD does have its share of great performances from Tony's duet partners, nearly every singer shines in his/her half. First, the ones that DIDN'T make the cut: Sorry "Celine Lovers", but Ms. Dion is "El Stinko" in her wailing version of "If I Ruled the World". Does she think that screaming her way thru the song would show that she "Ruled the World"? There is ZERO chemistry between her and Mr. Bennett. They might as well sang in different parts of the world because that's what the track sounded like. The last minute of the song turns into a wailing match as both singers try to outscream each other.....Bad, bad bad ! The Dixie Chicks also sound as though they drank half a bottle of Geritol because their interpretation of "Lullaby of Broadway" sounds half asleep. Lastly, Juanes uses showmanship to hog the spotlight away from Tony in "The Shadow of Your Smile". His inappropriate showy performance is way, way off the map and you get the sense Tony really sounds annoyed with him (tsk, task...shame on you, Juanes). John Legend is largely wasted in a big-band swing version of "Sing You Sinners". His voice is buried way deep in the arrangements. A large waste of talent.

But the rest perform wonderfully. I have to say my personal faves are k.d. lang and George Michael. Ms. lang is hauntingly beautiful and powerful in "Because of You". Her memorable performance stays with you long after the CD has stopped playing. It is the only track here I could easily put on "Repeat" for 10 or 15 listens. She's THAT good ! Also, George Michael is barely recognizable in a good way as he dives deep into "How Do You Keep the Music Playing". His tenor range blends seamlessly into the melody of this beautiful song. Stevie Wonder also performs his "For Once In My Life" memorably. Stevie's voice is as rich and resonant as ever. The interplay between him and Tony is priceless, as is the one between James Taylor and Tony. Mr. Taylor starts off almost shyly in "Put on a Happy Face" but really picks up steam as the song progresses.

If you are just interested in the novelty of hearing Tony perform with duet partners songs made famous by him from over 40 years ago and don't mind his ragged, craggy voice, then "Duets" is still worth it. But if you are a fan of Mr. Bennett's going way back and can't bear to hear this legend in declining voice, then skip it. Again, I think he should hang it up after this one. The advances of time sound like they have taken a toll. Still, this would be a great CD to retire on. He has the love and support of his peers and fans from around the world, and nothing shows that overflowing love better than this CD.

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.

"I've introduced some wonderful songs that now have become part of the American Musical Landscape." ~ Tony Bennett ~

At eighty, Tony Bennett still shines and this recording is a testament plain and simple! With an impressive line-up of guests and their awesome performances, this 80th birthday offering is a blast and truly a magnificent musical landscape. According to Mr. Bennett, this is a brainchild of his son who came up with the most wonderful concept of singing with all these contemporary artists.

This recording has the backing of two of the finest arrangers/conductors, Jorge Calandrelli (Orchestra) and Torrie Zito (Brass Section), and Tony Bennett Quartet: Lee Musiker (piano), Paul Langosch (bass), Harold Jones (drums) and Gray Sargent (guitar). There's a dazzling attraction in each of the tracks and all his guest artists contributed their par excellence performances to make this album truly remarkable and probably the best gift for him on his 80th birthday.

It's hard to choose my personal favorites - each performance has something wonderful to offer and I LOVE THEM ALL but I have to select somehow. So here are my top choices.

"Smile" - a fabulous duet with Barbra Streisand highlighting its stunning and emotive violin solo. I'm so moved by the stellar interpretation and awe-inspiring arrangement of this gem of a song. This is probably the most uplifting song ever written.

"Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear maybe ever so near"

"Because Of You" - This is one of many great songs he recorded with k.d. lang. Do you hear that familiar ear-catching sound of trumpet? None other than the trumpeter-extraordinaire, Chris Botti.

"Lullaby Of Broadway" - he sings with the Dixie Chicks in a swinging fashion so full of zest and heartiness. I just love this version and the Dixie Chicks have really impressed me on this.

"You rock-a-bye your baby 'round to Ellington and Basie
When a Broadway baby said Goodnight, it's early in the morning
Manhattan babies don't sleep tight until the dawn
Goodnight baby, sleep tight baby, the milkman's on his way."

"The Very Thought Of You" - With Paul McCartney. They both sparkle as they exchange a charming musical conversation. Listen to that hauntingly beautiful bridge.

"How Do You Keep The Music Playing?" - I'll always remember George Michael for his hit song and my favorite "Careless Whisper." They sing with an aching tenderness that makes it so faithful to the lyrics and melody as well.

"If we can try with every day
To make it better as it grows
With any luck then I suppose
The music never ends"

"Just In Time" - An exuberant and swingy duet with Michael Bublé. Both are in high spirits now that they've "found love just in time and changed their lonely lives that lovely day."

"Put On A Happy Face" - I've heard that familiar heartwarming whistle again from James Taylor just like he did in "My Romance." They surely showed an infectious cheerfulness all throughout the song.

"Cold, Cold Heart" - a great duet with Tim McGraw. Isn't it amazing how some songs that we didn't care about in the past become relatively significant to us just because these songs speak of our experiences in life?

"In anger unkind words are said
That make the teardrops start
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart"

"For Once In My Life" - the genius of harmonica, Stevie Wonder, shows off his artistry. In my opinion, he shares the trophy with Toots Thielemans for the best harmonica players of all-time.

"The Shadow Of Your Smile" - I've never heard of Juanes until now. I'm so impressed with their gorgeous duet that is almost like a serenade and with Spanish lyrics at that! "La sombra de tuamo en mi soña."

"The shadow of your smile
When you are gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn"

"I Wanna Be Around" - a wonderful pairing with Bono, a singer with a remarkable voice whom Tony Bennett described as "a beautiful human being who's doing much to the world."

This recording will really delight you with the outstanding conversations-set-to-music between the birthday celebrant, Tony Bennett, and his impressive line-up of guest artists. So listen now and experience a beautiful and an enjoyable musical landscape.

Wholeheartedly recommended.

There's always an act of desperation when any artist spelunk the American Songbook series [see Rod Stewart's abhorrent output], and even worse when it's a legend's assumption that to remain current, trendy or relevant, they need to resort to the intangible `Duets' genre. Poor Tony Bennett - here, he attempts both, reinterpreting his own canon with an array of, for the most part, second-tier singers who couldn't get his lunch, let alone croon his classics. One of the all-time interpretive masters falls into the depressing category where Frank Sinatra abysmally attempted [abysmally twice!] and Barbra Streisand [although in Streisand's defense/offense, hers was a collection of previously recorded duets] and a host of others have artistically waned. While out-classing the likes of the over-exposed Michael Buble, the massively over-rated Diana Krall, the over-used pomposity of Bono, and the way-over-the-hill Billy Joel and James Taylor, he drags out the usual portentous, unctuous Rogue's gallery of hackneyed `guests' [WHEW! No Sheryl Crow! But darned that heinous Sting!] with results more akin to the pandering bantering of 70s variety shows. Adoration is a noble gesture, but it negates the ideal when all chemistry is lost on artists who can't fathom the idea of an aesthetic connection to Bennett or the lyrics, and no neo-breath of life is inhaled for artistic merit. With Paul McCartney out of his element and Tim McGraw lost in the woods, only Stevie Wonder's celestial vocal matches Bennett's aging, albeit lush, tones, and outshines the muck and mire that this major disappointment reeks of. Sadly, a dud. My grade: C+

Last night at the "Grammy's" something wonderful happened - Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder shared an award for their duet of a song each had recorded in 1967 - "For Once in My Life."

On the same night, 40 years earlier, more popular hit songs ("Up, Up and Away," "Respect" and "Gentle on My Mind") had edged out Tony's and Stevie's versions of "For Once in My Life." Almost the only one of his hits Stevie DIDN'T write, the song was co-written by Ronald Miller (a nephew of pianist Bill Miller, Frank Sinatra's career accompanist, who died last summer on tour with Sinatra Junior, in Montreal).

When Tony Bennett introduced the song, in 1967 "For Once in My Life" was underappreciated, while Stevie's rendition became his then-biggest hit, to date.

----

For months I've been telling friends that "track eleven on Tony's latest album - his duet with Stevie Wonder -- is the `pick of the litter.'" And while popular music's elder statesman -- now in his 81st year - would never have admitted it on stage last night, I believe that he and Stevie, in their heart-of-hearts would agree with the folks at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences -- that this was the Grammy winner, among the 23 terrific duets on this album. [I have the `Target' version with its four bonus tracks including "live" duets with Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Michael Buble and Diana Krall.]

As the definitive version of this song draws to a lovely close - after Stevie delivers a joyful (27 second) harmonica solo (surely one of the most beautiful in the history of popular music) -- you can actually `hear' the smiles of these two musical giants - in their spontaneous words of praise.

Tony defers to Stevie for the musical `last word' - an amazing display of chromatic dexterity that is simply breathtaking - as Stevie impersonates EXACTLY how he'd play those same notes on the harmonica.

Then, as the final notes of the lush, orchestral arrangement (by Jorge Calendrelli) begin to fade, Tony speaks for us all -- even (prophetically) for the wise men and women at NARAS who had the good sense last night to award Tony and Stevie the Grammy for this one.

TONY: "Wow . . . . Stevie Wonder . . full (chuckle!)
STEVIE: "The GREAT Tony Bennett . . . . Happy Birthday! (chuckle)
TONY: "Thank you!"

-----

Footnotes: So . . . which songs edged out Tony's and Stevie's versions of "For Once in My Life" for the Grammy's in 1967? "Song of the Year" went to composer Jim Webb for "Up, Up and Away" (and to the "Fifth Dimension" for performing it). The R&B Song of the year was "Respect" -- the Grammy went to Otis Redding for writing the words and music (not to Aretha Franklin who had a Number 1 hit with it). And the C&W song award that year went to John Hartford, for "Gentle on My Mind."]

Ronald Miller, who wrote the words to "For Once in My Life" and composer Orlando Murden never had another hit (but if each of us could only have written one great song from the Sixties . . . why not that one?)

"Great song!" Frank Sinatra used to say to audiences, when performing his own swinging version of "For Once In My Life" (to a great arrangement by the late Don Costa). Sinatra's best-recorded "live" performance of the tune may be found on the CD "Sinatra in Vegas" (2005).

Mark Blackburn
Winnipeg Canada

Back when Sinatra did a similar thing (the two "Duets" discs), the results ranged from non-convincing to outright appalling, despite the quality of most singing partners. Yes, it might have been because of the separate recording sessions, or maybe because of a hasty song selection, but the chemistry was just not there. Though I was looking forward to this CD (I'm a long-time Tony Bennett fan), I approched it with a lot of skepticism. Boy I was in for a very pleasant surprise!!
"Duets - An American Classic" is classy, fun, sophisticated, romantic, moody and it never gets boring.

The disc starts with a very original rendition of "The Lullaby of Broadway
" with the Dixie Chicks. I know these pretty smart girls are much better musicians than they're typically given credit for, but I didn't expect them to swing that well. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill country singers. Yes, it's true, they do sound like the Andrew Sisters! (What's wrong with that?)

Charlie Chaplin's unforgettable "Smile" is beautifully sung by Tony and the evergreen Barbra Streisand. She really is one of the best, her unmistakable voice is just as great as ever. The arrangement is a bit corny for my tastes though, but classical violin virtuoso Pinchas Zukerman's performance is, as usual, moving.

James Taylor's vocal style isn't too well-suited for this kind of music, but he still manages to do an appreciable job in "Put on a happy face."

Paul McCartney, on the other hand, was the second pleasant surprise (after the Dixie Chicks.) For someone supposedly unfamiliar with this repertoire, he does a surprisingly good job, sounding very much like an experienced crooner.

I admit not knowing who Juanes was, I read that he's a South American rock singer. Anyhow, he tries to sound like Julio Iglesias (definitely not one of my favorites...) but you can feel it's really not his cup of tea. This is definitely the weakest number.

"Rags to riches" is quite fun, with Sir Elton putting up quite a vocal show. Nice, really nice.

Well, what can I say about Billy Joel if not that he's the closest thing to Tony Bennett himself! Wow, two consummate crooners singing one heck of a duet!! Stellar!!

Tim McGraw represents America's country singers (well, with the Dixie Chicks, but we know how they're straying away from mainstream country --and fortunately so, at least for those of us who don't fully appreciate that type of music-- their talent would be a little...wasted...:-) ) in the country classic "Cold cold heart" with Tony's usual jazz arrangement. Almost every time I went to one of Tony's concerts, I heard him tell this story of how Hank Williams didn't particularly appreciate his song crossing genre. Tim sounds a bit like he's still mad at tony for the same reason. I appreciate his effort though.

In "If I ruled the world" Celine Dion is being...Celine Dion. Great voice, we know, but it comes with the usual grandstanding. Still, it's a very appreciable duet.

Diana Krall...oh well...I love her, she's by far my favorite jazz vocalist, so I can't help praising her performance. Nice choice of song, a true classic. I just wished Tony did an entire album of duets with her, that would be a true blast!!

In "For once in my life", the guest star is also the author of the song. Yes, Stevie is a class act, but he's not completely comfortable with this style and that's pretty obvious. Still, an interesting choice.

Oh my God, does Elvis Costello always come as a package deal with Diana? I hardly tolerated him in "De-lovely" (a dreck of a movie, but the guest stars did a fantastic singing job --except for Elvis--) and now he's here too? Admit it Elvis, you're no jazz singer, stop fooling around, do what you usually do and enjoy the voice of your wonderful wife when you feel in the mood for jazz vocals. (OK, I admit it, there might be a bit of jealousy here...:-) )

K.D. Lang is a great singer and, of course, she performs beautifully. She's not new at duetting with Tony and you can really feel the chemistry. Too bad we never hear enough of her. Chris Botti's excellent trumpet solo is noteworthy.

Michael Buble' is a consummate professional, yet he's still one of several Sinatra-wannabes, virtually indistinguishable from one another. I don't particularly care for his voice, but this duet is undoubtely nice.

Of all the pop/rock singers in this album, Sting is the one with the most familiarity with jazz (just think of how many jazz performers he's made famous...) and you can hear that. Too bad his voice has lost some luster in recent years, but the spirit is still there.

Bono is more than OK in "I wanna be around", another pleasant surprise.

John Legend also does a creditable job in "Sing, you sinners."

Tony must have sung and recorded "I left my heart in San Francisco" a gazillion times, yet this version is quite unique, being accompanied by reknown jazz pianist Bill Charlap alone. Very nice and sophisticated, although I can hear echoes of the "Tony Bennett/Bill Evans album." With all due respect to Mr. Charlap, he's obviously not a piano genius of the caliber of Bill Evans, yet his accompanying work and solo are competent and tasteful, albeit somewhat cliche'.

Although I've never fully appreciated George Michael's voice, he does a very nice job with "How do you keep the music playing?" Still, he sounds like...George Michael. :-)

Finally, although Tony's voice is not the same as it was decades ago (I guess he now greatly regrets smoking a pack a day for decades...), he
definitely sounds much much better than Sinatra in his last years and his remarkable verve is still there. What a great entertainer, the last of the great crooners. There will never be another one like him, sorry Buble', Connick, Cincotti etc.

This is a very enjoyable album, though if I had been the producer I would have replaced a few of the guests. How about Natalie Cole? A shame she's not in this production. And since Tony has always liked playing pygmalion, how about featuring a young and talented jazz singer? My vote would have gone to the amazing Renee Olstead (still a teenager, if I remember correctly!)

If you buy your CD from Target, you will enjoy four bonus tracks, featuring previously released duets with Krall, Buble', Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. Nice stuff, you definitely want the extra tracks, unless you already have them.