Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Cheek to Cheek - Music & Performance - CD

The legendary Tony Bennett and superstar Lady Gaga met in 2011 when they teamed up to sing 'The Lady Is a Tramp' on Tony's #1 album DUETS 2. The duet introduced each artist's fans to the others music and style- and in no time at all, a passionate audience from teenagers to baby boomers were calling for more from the compelling pair. CHEEK TO CHEEK is a cross-generational project that combines the fire-power of two superstar talents in their respective areas coming together to create something completely fresh and exciting. With a track list that includes the best timeless classics the world of music has to offer from 'Anything Goes' to 'It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)' to 'Cheek to Cheek' as well as incredible solo performances from Tony with 'Sophisticated Lady' and Gaga with 'Lush Life' this body of work truly shines as some of the best work in the genre.

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett sang before 2014's Cheek to Cheek -- she popped up on his 2011 collection Duets II -- so this standards album isn't exactly out of the blue. Furthermore, the two aren't such an odd pair. Bennett naturally has a long track record not just in regards to the Great American Songbook, but in presenting it to modern audiences, freshening it up for an MTV Unplugged in 1994 and cutting a full album with k.d. lang in 2002, while Gaga is grounded in music theater and cabaret, a background that is perhaps too apparent on Cheek to Cheek even when it serves her well. She has the chops to sing these warhorses but she sometimes seems unsure of her skills, relying on sheer power when she'd be better off easing into a lyric. Gaga also is occasionally betrayed by her taste for camp -- it's fetching when she's re-creating the splendor of 1976 within the album art but when she begins throwing out flirty asides on "Goody Goody" ("I'm no goodie, I'm a baddie"), she slips on the thin ice she's skating upon. Comparatively, Bennett takes things perhaps a shade too casually, relying on charm as much as skill. This isn't entirely a bad thing. His ease provides a welcome tonic to Gaga's eager glee club theatrics and there are some sparks that arise from this contrast. Also, Cheek to Cheek benefits from sharp arrangements and production that draw upon anything from boisterous, full-bore big bands to swinging, intimate cabaret. Such variety helps spice up a pretty predictable set of songs -- it's a familiar parade of Porter, Berlin, Ellington, Kern, with Cy Coleman & Carolyn Leigh's "Firefly" being the least-familiar tune (although Bennett has recorded it numerous times since the late '50s) -- but Cheek to Cheek is a record where the music and even the songs take a backseat to the personalities. Gaga and Bennett intended to put on a razzle-dazzle show here and that's exactly what they did. Whether you like it or not depends entirely on how much you dig the way they swing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Performer	Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
Music genre	Opera / Vocal
Music subgenre	Vocal
Media format	CD
Original release date	January 1, 2014
Language	English
Is collectible	Y
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Track listing	Anything Goes 2:04, Cheek to Cheek 2:50, Nature Boy 4:10, I Can't Give You Anything But Love 3:12, I Won't Dance 3:56, Firefly 1:57, Lush Life Lady Gaga 4:14, Sophisticated Lady Tony Bennett 3:49, Let's Face the Music and Dance 2:07, But Beautiful 4:03, It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga 2:21
Record label	Interscope Records
Songwriter	Tony / Lady Gaga Bennett
Character	Lady Gaga
Track name	Anything Goes, Cheek to Cheek, Nature Boy, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, I Won't Dance, Firefly, Lush Life, Sophisticated Lady, Let's Face the Music and Dance, But Beautiful, It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N