Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga prove an unlikely but remarkable
pairing on this selection of jazz standards and covers set to some fantastic big
band instrumentation.
Aged 88, this is an impressive vocal performance from jazz veteran Bennett but an even more impressive performance from Gaga, a girl whose a novice in comparison but showcases herself to be just as convincing a jazz singer, especially on the tracks ‘Nature Boy’ and ‘Lush Life’. Her last record, Artpop, showed signs that she might be taking baby steps away from the catchy rah-rah-rah roma-mama pop bangers, but I didn’t think she’d have the guts to challenge her fans and abandon pop altogether for Sinatra-style swing, let alone pull it off like a pro.
This was a real pleasant surprise of an album that has me already growing curious as to what can we expect next from Gaga. Opera? Inuit throat singing? Death metal?
Aged 88, this is an impressive vocal performance from jazz veteran Bennett but an even more impressive performance from Gaga, a girl whose a novice in comparison but showcases herself to be just as convincing a jazz singer, especially on the tracks ‘Nature Boy’ and ‘Lush Life’. Her last record, Artpop, showed signs that she might be taking baby steps away from the catchy rah-rah-rah roma-mama pop bangers, but I didn’t think she’d have the guts to challenge her fans and abandon pop altogether for Sinatra-style swing, let alone pull it off like a pro.
This was a real pleasant surprise of an album that has me already growing curious as to what can we expect next from Gaga. Opera? Inuit throat singing? Death metal?
★★★★☆
TRACK TASTER: