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The Ultimate Tony Bennett
While Sinatra, Martin, and the Rat Pack were busy sacrificing a good measure of their vocal talents in the sordid business of fame and fortune, Tony Bennett was quietly, stubbornly, burnishing his vocal gifts into High, if seemingly effortless, Art. How good is Bennett? Just ask the Chairman of the Board and Head Rat: "The best goddamned pop singer I've ever heard." While a single disc can't offer much more than a sketchy outline of Bennett's rich, seven-decade career, this one offers the commercial peaks--and some telling hints at the restless artistic instinct that produced them. From the pure, nearly operatic power and perfect vibrato he displays on early hits such as "Rags to Riches," "Stranger in Paradise" and the overly theatrical, borderline kitsch of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" through his signature "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" to his gratifying if unlikely '90s resurgence, you can literally hear Bennett's voice tempering like the wood of a Stradivarius, his phrasing taking on a deceptively loose, jazz-fueled languor that tells you where his musical heart really lies. The singer, not the song; damn straight advice--take it from a master. -Jerry McCulley
See more photos, specs, and reviewsThe Essential Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand's bravado made her one of the 1960s' overnight sensations. This 40-cut compendium traces her recording career from early tracks that frequently relay her subtlety to often impressive accommodations with soft rock and still later vibrato-fests that find her taxing the limits of performer's ego and listeners' ears. The narrative is one of direct, sometimes showy, emotion giving way to empty displays of technique. By 1983's icky anthem "A Piece of Sky," Streisand has plowed under the light touches of "Lover, Come Back to Me" and the triumphal Central Park version of "Happy Days Are Here Again." Where she produced schlock masterworks when teamed with Neil Diamond ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers") and Donna Summer ("Enough Is Enough") in the '70s, a diva summit with Celine Dion led to the car wreck of 1997's "Tell Him." Essential wraps up with previously unreleased takes of "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." --Rickey Wright
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As Time Goes By: The Best of Jimmy Durante
Mrs. Calabash would be pleased. Thanks to the appearance of \As Times Goes By" in Sleepless in Seattle"
See more photos, specs, and reviewsPatsy Cline's Greatest Hits
This is the longest selling album in the history of country music. Released in 1967, this collection of a dozen gems from country music's greatest female voice raced to #5 on the country charts upon release and has spent over 630 weeks on the country catalog charts since reissue on CD in 1988. Digitally remastered/HDCD. MCA. 2003.
See more photos, specs, and reviewsTop O' the Morning: His Irish Collection
Of course this contains \Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral." Other highlights include ""MacNamara's Band"
See more photos, specs, and reviews20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Billie Holiday
The 20th Century Masters series is the best-selling single-artist line in music history and is being re-released by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in its ground-breaking, environmentally-friendly packaging format. A first for the music industry, the standard package (both sleeve and tray) will be completely paper-recyclable, continuing the company's long-standing commitment to being "green."
To further reduce the amount of paper in the Eco-Pack, the CD booklet will no longer be offered. Official liner notes are easily accessible on the Internet at http://www.ilovethatsong.com/green.UMe is the first North American music company to replace the traditional jewel case with recycled paperboard sleeves and the plastic tray with trays made from PaperFoam®, a new packaging technology from Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, that is paper-recyclable and biodegradable. Shorewood Packaging is the first North American packaging supplier to produce disc trays from PaperFoam®. See more photos, specs, and reviews
