Search - Tony Bennett :: Art of Excellence

A Tony Bennett MASTERPIECE !

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 08/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five Big Stars!!!!! SUPERB Bennet performances in a totally captivating set of carefully selected songwriting jewels. Spinning MESMERIZING performances, one after another, this is clearly one of Tony Bennet's best recordings and therefore an ESSENTIAL RECORDING for any fan of ballads, blues, and esoteric pop songs. Tony has a flair for finding little known tasteful songs that deserve more respect from singers and listeners. All songs are done up in fascinating Jorge Calandrelli arrangements played by a huge string laden orchestra which Jorge conducts. And yes, Ralph Sharon's amazing pianism and trio are here. Perfect!!



The beautiful opening song, "Why Do People Fall In Love?", is a soaring, lush triumph with a special surprise hidden at the end. Besides Tony, only Sarah Vaughn had the guts to sincerely tackle "So Many Stars", which got it's definitive reading from Lani Hall & Sergio Mendes, but Tony finds another wonderful slant on this cult classic. "Everybody Gets The Blues" is a 'Meeting of Titans' as Bennett and 'Brother' Ray Charles have a barrel of fun singing some very slick, humorous lyrics. "Moments Like This" is classic Bennett with Ralph Sharon's fabulous piano swinging lightly and so hard at the same time. "Moments.." had to bring a wide smile of admiration from Sinatra when he first heard it. "What Are You Afraid Of?" is after-dinner lushness of the highest order. Fred Astaire's "City of the Angels" gets the definitive reading of some clever lyrics by the great dancer. It's fun to drive around LA while listening to this very hip song. Fred (and Tony) nailed the experience!



The two 'Pieces D'Resistance' for me begin with "When Love Was All We Had" which starts off out of tempo and surges to a great crescendo. The alto saxophonist is absolutely splendid on the interlude. And the other is "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" with a spine-tingling ending as Tony pulls out all of the vocal stops. Amazing! But the entire CD is excellent. Five Big Stars!!!!!



(NOTE: There is a great foldout Annie Leibovitz photograph behind the CD photo cover. This review is written for the NEW Tony Bennett fans because the old fans bought the "Art of Excellence" CD years ago!! Welcome Aboard, new fans! You're so lucky!)"

The best Bennett ever!

Mauricio Kaplan | Campinas, S. Paulo, Brazil | 03/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Art of Excellence is a selection of twelve songs which brings Tony's very soul to your heart. The best Why Do People Fall In Love and How Do You Keep The Music Playing, to date. Moments Like This, Forget The Woman and When Love Was All We Had are simply fantastic. You won't forget Forget The Woman and Everybody Has The Blues. 5 very big stars! Just buy it!"

Art of Excellence - Excellent Work by Tony

Mauricio Kaplan | 09/28/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my opinion, the review by Mr. Hibbert is lousy! He should get another job, how can he degrade this album! It's one of my very favorites. Tony's rendition of "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" is fantastic. I can close my eyes and hear him singing this song as he usually does when closing a show. And, Tony, never sings it the same twice! The song, "What Are You Afraid Of" is a favorite of both my mom and I, it's about the sexiest rendition of that song I've ever heard. Talk about bridging the generation gap! City of the Angels, Lost in Her Arms, all are fantastic.Please disregard Mr. Hibbert's review and buy this one as his fans are the best judge of Mr. Bennett. I have a couple of this album, in the car, by my cassette radio to play and in the home unit. Listen and Judge for Yourself! We luv Tony Bennett! Always."