Friday, November 18, 2011

Bennett dazzles with "Duets II"

Tony Bennett is probably one of the most renowned American jazz and traditional pop artists of all time. At 85 years old and with over 70 albums to his name, it is impressive that he is still making music. His latest album, “Duets II,” reveals that he still has what it takes to hold a note and create a hit album.

The album is a sequel to Bennett’s previous duet album, “Duets: An American Classic.” His concept for these albums is to collaborate with most of today’s popular artists. “Duets II” includes Lady Gaga, Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey, Josh Groban, Norah Jones, John Mayer, Alejandro Sanz, Carrie Underwood and the late Amy Winehouse.
Looking at the list of names, it may appear that Bennett’s duet partners seem to be out of their musical zone. But make no mistake, they deliver outstanding performances as if they were naturals in the jazz genre. Hearing Gaga finally sing a sweet tune makes listeners come to the conclusion that Bennett and his duet partners seem to have hand-picked and recreated heartfelt covers from the Great American Songbook.
Once again, Bennett has dazzled America with “Duets II.” The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and is quite shockingly marked as Bennett’s first No. 1 album to date. Furthermore, he also become the oldest living artist to debut at No. 1.
Since its release, the album has achieved Gold certification in the U.S. and Platinum certification in Canada. With all of its achievements, it is evident that “Duets II” is one of Bennett’s biggest successes and is sure to win him another Grammy. The wide variety of songs covered in the album is practically a musical history lesson and shows that these classic tunes stand the test of time—and so does Bennett.
Recommended tunes include, “The Lady is a Tramp” (with Lady Gaga), “Body and Soul” (with Amy Winehouse), “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (with Michael Bublé), “Speak Low” (with Norah Jones) and “It Had to be You” (with Carrie Underwood). - http://www.utulsa.edu/collegian/article.asp?article=5268

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