Tony Bennett - The Art of Romance

After the guest-star extravaganza Playin' with My Friends and the k.d. lang duets album What a Wonderful World, Tony Bennett goes his own way, settling into a mellow groove with The Art of Romance. Slow- and midtempo from top to bottom, Romance partakes mostly of deep-dish orchestral takes of classics (three by Johnny Mandel; two by Johnny Mercer). The end-of-the-affair "Where Do You Start" is the disc's quiet heart-stopper, while memories of happier days are conjured by Mercer’s "Time to Smile" and the wry Mandel/Dave Frishberg "Little Did I Dream." Perfect fall listening, alone or with a partner, this proves one of the richest albums of the singer’s late-career renaissance. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com

Soothing Music

I love this CD. It is so wonderful to listen to when you want to unwind after a long day or sitting with someone you love discussing the day. This will be one of my favorites for a long, long time.

November 19, 2008

Oh, My How Wonderful

Simply put, I adore this collection. Like most people, I have a few Tony Bennett CD's in my collection. I listen to them at various times, but until I found this one, I wouldn't say I am a serious fan; you just have to like a man who works so hard to entertain and share his joy of life. But, this CD is different. It's much more intimate and poignant. It's almost as if you have come across Mr. Bennett singing to himself for his own enjoyment. These are songs he'd sing around the house or while he's alone. As he matures through life, we've had the pleasure of being part of that journey and with this CD, we see the depth of his personality and the simplicity of his approach to serious things. It's a master class in how the most complex things can be made joyously simple in the hands of a true master. Thank you, Tony. September 13, 2008

an excellent Tony Bennett album

The Art Of Romance is a fine Tony Bennett CD of him singing his heart out on these great and classic love songs. The quality of the sound is excellent; and the artwork is very thoughtfully done. This is a wonderful CD for Tony's fans; and it makes a great starter CD for people new to Tony's artistry.

The CD starts with Tony Bennett singing so well on "Close Enough For Love;" he massages the lyrics to this song and this is anything but elevator music! Tony never misses a beat and despite his age he truly sounds as good as he ever did. "Close Enough For Love" is an excellent starting tune for this album and I predict you'll like it very much. "All In Fun" is a poignant love song with Tony singing a number of somewhat staccato notes to make this number a special one; the elegant piano arrangement is very well done and it never takes the spotlight away from Tony--great! Tony Bennett is in his true element here; he sings these ballads with lots of feeling and that's grand.

"Where Do You Start" has Tony squarely in the spotlight--and that's OK by me! I really like "Where Do You Start;" and the lush musical arrangement complements Tony's singing to perfection. "I Remember You" is a tune that shines so brightly when Tony delivers it with this stunning arrangement; it moves a little bit slower than I'm used to--but make no mistake about it, Tony does this with panache and it's all very impressive.

"All For You" showcases Tony's incredible voice; it ahs deepened a bit with time but his voice is still quite good and "All For You" is easily a major highlight of this album. Tony performs "All For You" with all his heart and soul and just one listen proves it. "The Best Man" gets a jazzy, somewhat upbeat melody and Tony swings and sways brightly as he sings this without a superfluous note! "The Best Man" tells a story that isn't always so happy but the song is still very good and great to hear.

"Don't Like Goodbyes" has a very lush musical arrangement that helps make this number a great one; and Tony aces this easily. Of course, we know that it really wasn't so easy--Tony's talents always carried him through and he could make it look easy because he was so naturally gifted. There's also a song called "Being Alive;" "Being Alive" isn't exactly my favorite tune on this album but it does work well.

The CD ends very strong with Tony Bennett performing "Gone With The Wind." "Gone With The Wind" comes from the movie of the same name and it makes a stunning conclusion to this album. Wow!

Tony Bennett is one of the very best male vocalists we've ever seen; and this CD will be a very big plus for his fans. Thank you, Tony!
May 31, 2008

Album of Love

I am a fan of Tony's work and decided my birthday gift to myself would be a CD and his book. both are wonderful and thoughtful a fantastic purchase. March 29, 2008

spanning all generations

I'm 44 years old, too young to represent his traditional fans, but I am proud to say that Tony Bennett is one of my favorites. This is a fun album, and you will find yourself easiliy humming along with the lyrics.
Check out, "THE BEST MAN". It's like listening to your buddy tell a sob sorry,... but to music (and in Tony Bennett style).
Amazon's great price and quick delivery sealed the deal on this jewel. February 15, 2008

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