Customer Reviews

Steppin' Out

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is something about the aging of the great ones. As they lose a little in vocal power and range, they seem to be able to make up for it with superior interpretation and emotion. Tony Bennett (and Nat Cole, Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney and a few others), proves the point in this tribute to Fred Astaire. Ironically Astaire, who never had vocal power or range, always relied on interpretation to sell his songs. That he did so successfully, is attested by the fact that he was considered by Ira Gershwin and Irving Berlin to be the one vocalist they trusted to sing their songs exactly as they were written.

Bennett may struggle here and there to reach a note, but he can be forgiven because he sells each song with mastery of style and meaning. His version of WHO CARES is unique and makes what most singers use as an uptempo swinger into a sweet near ballad. HE LOVES SHE LOVES is sung at almost a whisper and Bennett wrings more emotion from the song than I've heard from any other vocalist. Indeed, he performs the Gershwin and Berlin numbers wonderfully. No easy task. Although they are for the most part familiar, they are difficult to sing as many a kareoke performer has learned to his or her regret.

This one is a keeper! It belongs in every pop music lovers collection, right alongside his previous work, Sinatra tribute PERFECTLY FRANK.

What a combination! A great singer of the '50's through today paying tribute to a great dancer of the 30's and 40's, with songs from the 20's through the 40's.

When he first auditioned, the notes on Fred Astaire's performance read "Can't act; can't sing; dances a little." He went on to be one of the two great male dancers in the movies of the 30's and 40's.

He introduced the great songs on this album--songs by the likes of the Gershwins, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin--to the movie going public, and Tony Bennett captures both the charm of these songs and the Astaire appeal in his delivery. Outstanding are "Top Hat, White Tie And Tails", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Dancing In The Dark", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "Shall We Dance", and "That's Entertainment".

If you have appreciation for the eras that this music represents, you'll find this a truly great album.

Steppin' Out is indeed a fine tribute to Fred Astaire by Tony Bennett. Tony sings these ballads with sensitivity; and that enhances the songs on this album. The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is very nicely done.

"Steppin' Out With My Baby" has an excellent jazzy musical arrangement and Tony sounds better than ever! Tony aces this easily with his fine vocal talents; and you can just grasp that image of Fred Astaire dancing so elegantly as you hear this song. The arrangement for the piano is especially nice; and The Ralph Sharon Trio enhances the ballad even further--great! "Who Cares?" features Tony Bennett front and center as he sing this wistful ballad; and this sounds like classic music to me--it's excellent for lounge music as well. In addition, "They Can't Take That Away From Me" is easily a major highlight of this entire album; Tony delivers this with panache and Fred Astaire would certainly have felt very honored! Tony sings "They Can't Take That Away From Me" without a single superfluous note--and that's very impressive.

"Shine On Your Shoes" is a bouncy little tune you're bound to enjoy; Fred sang this brilliantly and Tony Bennett pays a great tribute to this classic song as he sings this flawlessly. "He Loves And She Loves" is yet another wonderful number on this CD; and when Tony goes into the main lyrics of the song this number really takes flight! "He Loves And She Loves" gets a very tender interpretation by Tony and the musicians and it all works very well. There's also "They All Laughed;" this triumphant tune really shines bright and I love it!

"All Of You" is a marvelous, classic love song that could never be forgotten; and I always smile whenever I hear this beautiful ballad. "Nice Work If You Can Get It" gets the royal treatment from Tony Bennett and The Ralph Sharon Trio; and I really like "Nice Work If You Can Get It." Similarly, "It Only Happens When I Dance With You" is a gorgeous love song that will touch you with its beauty and its message of true love for another--how wonderful!

There's even a superb medley of "You're Easy To Dance With/ Change Partners/ Cheek to Cheek;" and this is another major highlight of this album. Tony handles complicated tempo and key changes like the pro he was and still remains; and "That's Entertainment" is a number I could never tire of hearing--great number! The CD ends strong with Tony Bennett performing "By Myself;" this last song is a very sensitive number that Tony delivers with great feeling and "By Myself" also leaves you wanting more.

Tony Bennett is a living legend and he's practically a part of Americana--he's that big an artist. I highly recommend this CD for his fans; and people who enjoyed the songs from all those Fred Astaire movies will cherish this CD for quite some while to come.

Steppin' Out is that too rare event: a perfect singer, world class accompaniment and popular music's standards coming together. Tony Bennett continues to astound -- his 1993 voice remains as vital and powerful, and sensitive, as ever. Even in 2000, Tony does not sound any the worse for wear after 50 (!) years of performing.

Given that Tony is the best singer around today, this album is a treat because of Ralph Sharon's incredible piano: age has done nothing but make this guy BETTER. The timing and touch are a pleasure. At a recent concert, I could only sit there and marvel at how this older gentleman simply puts the next generations to shame.

Finally, the songs are exactly what you want to hear Tony sing. Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and the Gershwins deserve the kind of appreciation and swinging treatment that only someone like a Tony Bennett can give them. It is extremely rewarding to find the singer in his element, recording a successful, satisfying album by sticking to the best standards and doing them right.

Even if you cherish the Tony Bennett of the I-Left-My-Heart-In-San-Francisco '60s, you will find the 1993 version to be essentially the same -- masterful interpretations of great songs. Less of the booming '60s echo, but a nice clean recording. Pure class. Thanks, Tony.

Unlike some of Tony Bennett's numerous other "tribute" records, there is little about the packaging of STEPPIN' OUT that screams "dedicated to Fred Astaire!" In fact, not having glanced at the self-penned liner notes before playing this CD, it took me `til the medley that is track 15 (and which makes two overt references to the dancing legend) to realize that, hey, this must be a Fred Astaire tribute! As the kids say, d'oh!

But as I say, the packaging doesn't exactly have Tony tipping his (top) hat here. The Sinatra tribute PERFECTLY FRANK had a mature Tony sitting in the audience watching a young Frankie. It screamed "tribute." On the cover here, we have Tony tripping the light fantastic with an exuberant and gravity defying young lady, in her own white tie and tails, who is quite striking but isn't exactly a Ginger Rogers clone. And while the song roster includes the numerous Great American Songbook titles, you'd have to be of an even older generation than I am to instantly recognize them all as having been intimately associated with Astaire. They've been covered numerous times since, and it's hard to say that any one recording artist "owns" them.

Now I've always enjoyed the old Fred Astaire movies, and I rather liked him as a singer. It surprised me nonetheless to learn that the classic songwriters of the day loved having him perform their tunes--because he performed them AS WRITTEN. But maybe it shouldn't be so surprising, when you think about it,s, that an artist who was primarily a dancer would sing the songs straight and exercise his more interpretive instincts via the dance.

So now you've got Tony Bennett, who--conversely--may be the ultimate interpretive singer, tackling the same tunes that Astaire sang so straightforwardly and serviceably for his films. Is there an irony there? Well, at the very least, there's a stylistic gap that is certainly interesting. Tony's patented warm, husky vocals, elegant as they can be in their own way, are certainly a world apart from Astaire's classic smoothness. And isn't that point? Bringing something new to the equation? Putting a new spin on these old classics?

It's hard to pick a favorite track here. Unlike Amazon reviewer David Horiuchi above who champions the track "You're All the World To Me," I'd have a hard time picking a favorite tune here. The album works brilliantly as a whole. But I do have do have to admit that while I like some of the breezier numbers (the title track, "That's Entertainment, "Shine on My Shoes" and several other fun outings), I am particularly drawn to the slightly melancholy deliveries Bennett offers on such tracks as "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Dancing In the Dark," "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan," and the wistful closer "By Myself." This is where Tony brings his own distinctive interpretive skills to this tribute project. And it works brilliantly.

This cd is down right cool. While his voice doesn't match what it was in the 50's and 60's... who really wants that? People grow older and their voices change. His voice is in fine shape on this cd however. This cd really swings. He comes across as the epitome of cool. The Fred Astaire songs are fantastic. The Ralph Sharon Trio a wonderful choice to accompany him. Like the best of his cd's which honor others (Perfectly Frank), he doesn't try to copy the singer, he doesn't copy the arrangements, he just comes across as Tony Bennett being Tony Bennett.

I have rarely heard performances swing like this. Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio click perfectly. I want more like this. You don't have to have the chops of a 20 year old to swing and swingin's the thing as these guys show. I have an embarassingly large and varied CD collection and I count this among my favorites.

Tony's voice in 1993 when this was recorded is noticeably aged when compared to his 1960's hits, but since this is a tribute to Fred Astaire, and Tony at 100 will probably still have a better voice than Fred ever did, the disc works beautifully. A lot of credit should go to Ralph Sharon for his musicianship and to the producers as well. The 18 songs luckily include a bunch which have not become all-time classics, but rather served the Astaire movie or show in which they were placed. There are plenty of famous songs here, but the lesser ones add a lot of interest because who else would release them in this century if not Tony? Read the other reviews for detail on people's favorites. I like the product a whole lot, and recommend it to all.

In a recent interview Tony Bennett stated ( with his typically understated aplomb ) that while any given song's melody may have been written for a listener's soul, the tune's lyric's were written with the music lover's intellect in mind. Put these two seperate entities together and you have the makings of a classic popular song. Now, bearing in mind that Mr. Bennett has probably forgotten more about music than I will ever truly know, who am I to disagree? And with the release of the magical "Stepping Out " his hommage to Fred Astair and those wonderfully classic black/white films, he very well may have been describing these incredible standards and how large a part they still play today in our popular culture.

Speaking only for myself, to put it bluntly, I am guilty of having the proverbial 'two left feet' when it comes to dancing. I have no rhythm whatsoever but listening to Tony sing " Steppin Out With My Baby " or " Top Hat, White Tie and Tails " made me sincerely wish I'd paid more attention at those dance classes that I was dispatched to, begrugdingly, as a youth. Everything about this wonderful disc, from the eye-catching CD cover to the subtle yet quiet under-stating of the songs whimsical lyrics simply exude a singer who truly is at the absolute height of his vast talents ( although I seem to say that with EVERY Tony Bennett release! ). But while I have many discs that share those same attributes what makes " Steppin' Out " such a huge success is simply due to Mr. Bennett's obvious love and respect not only for the tracks contained within but also for the many singers who have tackled these selections long before he set them to CD. Listening to Tony sing " Who Cares? " or the marvelous " Shall We Dance ", backed by the always intricate Ralph Sharon trio, and you may have some small idea as to the joy and real admiration that he really feels. Not unlike Ella's classic composers 'Songbook' series released on Verve many years ago this is Mr. Bennett's own version of paying tribute to some of America's greatest songwriters of the Twentieth Century and with true youthful exuberance he makes each selection here a true joy to listen to....to say nothing of having you pull back that rug, grabing your partner and givng her a 'dip' that she won't soon forget! As Tony so aptly puts it in " Nice Work If You Can Get It "....who could ask for anything more!?

And while it's true that after composing an original song Cole Porter's first choice for singing that new composition was Fred Astair ( a wise choice! ) but.... something tells me that if Mr. Porter had been fortunate to hear Tony Bennett's fine rendition of some of his works he may just might have had to rethink that theory. Simply put everything here is the epitome of true class, first-rate musicianship and, most of all, crafted with the respect and care that these selections deserve! America's popular songs couldn't be in better hands. Now, put a " Shine On Your Shoe's " and let's try this again....one, two, three & one, two, three.....

Have not read anyother reviews so no influence from others. This is a simply great album. Bennett's backup trio really swings and everyone fits together. Unless one is a dodo where music is concerned, this is music one can listen to without getting tired of the performances. So Tony is getting older. Big deal! We all do, but he is a perfect example of how treating your voice with respect can keep one singing for many years. Bennett treats the songs the way they are supposed to be treated. Try it, you'll like it. The whole album is an upper for one's soul.