Customer Reviews

Stardust... The Great American Songbook, Vol. III

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(47)

 

 

Having thoroughly enjoyed volumes 1 and 2 in the Great American Songbook, I was eagerly waiting for this one. And I was not disappointed. Rod continues to put his trademark voice on these classic standards and gives them a new romantic feeling with his unique interpretations.

Favorite songs like "For Sentimental Reasons, "Blue Moon," and "Isn't It Romantic" make this a cd I play continuously. The title song, "Stardust," has never been so richly done and the one special UK song which I had never heard before, "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a worthy addition to an otherwise all-American collection.

There are more guest performers on this one than in the two previous releases. Eric Clapton on "Blue Moon" and Stevie Wonder on "What A Wonderful World" are remarkable, but it is Bette Midler's easy style on "Manhattan" that steals the show. Her voice and spirit blend effortlessly with Rod's for a real showstopper performance. Only the duet with Dolly Parton seemed a bit off-key and weak to me as it's hard to imagine their two styles combining, and in my opinion they didn't.

Still, it's a wonderful work filled with highlights such as Cole Porter's unforgettable "Night and Day" and the newly-revised lyrics Rod improvises on "I Can't Get Started."

If you loved the first two and can appreciate what Rod Stewart has done for the most beautiful songs of all time, this one is a must.

Rod Stewart sounds superb on this third installment of the Great American song book. This is a perfect CD to listen and forget all your troubles to. My favorite song is Isn't It Romantic. I think this is the perfect song to dance the night away to with your sweetheart. Rod puts his own unique spin on a classic song from the 50's entitled Blue Moon. Eric Clapton's smooth guitar playing paired with Rod Stewart dreamy vocals make this song a delight. I also enjoyed his rendition of the song For Sentimental Reasons. It is a very romantic song and one of my favorites. Rod sings some excellent duets on this album. My favorite duet is the duet he sings with Bette Midler entitled Manhattan. Bette has such a smooth voice. Rod's classic raspy sexy voice compliments her so well on this track.

Baby It's Cold Outside is another excellent duet. It is interesting to hear a country star like Dolly Parton and a pop star like Rod Stewart perform this great jazz standard. I really liked it. Rod sounds very warm and engaging especially on the song Night and Day. The piano playing sounds so good on this track. What a Wonderful World is a very a pretty song with an excellent mini harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder. I really enjoyed listening this album. This CD is a musical treat as were the first two.

I'm in my early 50's and was a Rod Stewart fan in my teens and early 20's when he was a big rock performer. Listening to his performance on this CD makes me want to check out the other two previous clssics series...I was impressed...not what I expected at all and I found myself just letting it play over and over through the day. What a Wonderful World is a song that I first heard when I was in Vietnam and it made me cry then...it still does today..tears are streaming down my face as I listen to Rod's version and remember so many heartbreaking experiences and the terrible grief that went with them.
I like this Album.

This CD is my favorite of the three in his GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK series because Rod sings Hoagy Carmichel's alltime blockbuster "Stardust" which is, also, my alltime favorite. Of course, I appreciate the added "freebies" with Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Bette Midler and Dolly Parton. Buy it. Try it.
You'll like it.

Rod Stewart is back--again--for his third CD in his Great American Songbook series. And wow, he doesn't miss a beat, performing these songs to perfection! The sound quality is excellent and Rod is exquisitely able to use that voice of his to express the range of emotions that come with love: lust, longing, sadness, happiness and ecstasy.

On this CD Rod starts out with the beautiful and romantic "Embraceable You." A strong start! He also got several highly talented performers to join in with him here: Eric Clapton sings with Rod on "Blue Moon," for example. Dolly Parton teams up with Rod for "Manhattan" as well. Other performers include Stevie Wonder on the moving "What A Wonderful World."

I highly recommend this CD for fans of this type of music, duets, and of course for Rod's fans, too! I can only hope that we get our hands on a fourth CD for this series ASAP! GRIN

As a member of the baby-boomer generation, I was introduced to "standards" by contemporary crossover artists like Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt and, of course, Harry Connick. I love them and have, since, amassed quite a collection of CD's - by the original artists and the crossovers. I'll admit that I was very skeptical about Rod Stewart's ability to record these great old songs. Let's face it, he's never been a GREAT singer. But, with this CD, Rod has reinvented himself yet again and hits the bullseye big time. His duets, with Dolly Parton and Bette Midler, are fun and breezy. Rod doesn't even TRY to imitate the originals. Instead, he's enjoying himself. It's obvious. He's loving the material. His phrasing is spot-on perfect - reminiscent of the Sinatra style. You can hear every word of the lyrics thanks to a great producer. It's NOT overdone (so easy to do with standards). It's just right. Great use of percussion, strings and piano. Most of all, Rod's song selection is impeccable - it ranges from a great rendition of "It's A Wonderful World" to the oh-so-difficult "A Nightingale Sang in Barkley Square". There really isn't anything to "skip". I didn't LOVE the first two in this series. They were ok but I wasn't thrilled with his song selections. This one is a MUST HAVE for the Rod Stewart doing Standards listener! He's a welcome edition to a very elite group of great talents doing great old songs THEIR way!!

I loved this cd. I sent it to my step-mom and we both agree that it's a 5 star cd. I especially love the song "It's a Wonderful World", first recorded by the late, great Louis Armstrong. Also, "Baby It's Cold Outside", the duet with Dolly Parton is really, really the next favorite of mine. Everyone who loves Rod Stewart should purchase this album.

Rod doesn't have the greatest vocal range in the world nor does he always seem to be in tune yet he has that certain something - gravelly voice perhaps?? This is his third trip with 'The Great American Songbook' and he's doing very well with it. Highlights on this outing are 'Baby It's Cold Outside', a delightful duet with Dolly Parton and 'What A Wonderful World' which seems to fit his vocal talents. He's also assisted with the likes of Bette Midler, Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder. Great tunes and even greater orchestrations. Top notch album.

Listening to Rod Stewart sing standards is pure torture. The one good thing is that the writers of these songs or their families are getting some nice royalties as a result of Mr. Stewart's success selling these three volumes of CDs.

Mr. Stewart has always been best as a rock and roll screamer. It takes talent to be a rock front man, and in the 60s to mid-70s he had that talent in spades. What he did from the mid-70s through the 90s seemed to be mostly about obsessing over his hair and the less said of his music from that time the better.

While Mr. Stewart was a first rate rock singer when he was young, it takes a completely different kind of talent to be a singer of standards. Mr. Stewart is not capable of convincingly singing these songs. He lacks the artistry and subtlety to do them justice.

I congratulate Mr. Stewart on promoting these songs successfully. I wish that the marketplace would be interested in other recordings of these songs because they've been done much better elsewhere.

This CD is truly one of the best Rod Stewart has ever done. It is in my car playing constantly! I always have enjoyed him but never this much. A whole new career for a legendary preformer!!