Tony Bennett has sung with
k.d. lang previously, notably on his MTV Unplugged album, and the two have meshed well together, largely because of
lang's willingness to sublimate herself to
Bennett's approach. The same thing can be said of the two on this full-length duet album (which also contains solos --
Bennett is heard alone on "That's My Dream,"
lang on "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "That Lucky Old Sun [Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day]"). It isn't just that
lang joins in on material more suitable to
Bennett's style than to hers. This is an album on which the musicians are the members of
Bennett's backup group (plus strings), recorded in
Bennett's studio. But one never gets the sense that
lang is restricted by the approach. She is sufficiently versatile, or chameleon-like, to sound like she's enjoying herself, just as she did earlier in her career when she was working with producer
Owen Bradley in Nashville and singing
traditional country. At 76,
Bennett sings with an easy, casual style, never seeming to work very hard for his effects, and
lang, in her vocal prime, deliberately complements him, though she never seems quite as comfortable. Although there is no indication other than an uncredited painting (by
Bennett, of course) inside the CD booklet, this is a tribute album to
Louis Armstrong, who recorded these songs over the course of his long career. That doesn't mean that there's a trumpet to be heard anywhere on the disc or that either of the singers tries to re-create any aspect of
Armstrong's vocal style. It simply provides an organizing principle that the listener can notice or not. (Well, it's hard not to notice during the title song, with
Bennett's references to "Satchmo" and "Pops.") Like
Armstrong,
Bennett and
lang are trying to make the music sound effortless and unstudied, and to a large extent they succeed. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
