Cheek to Cheek
Streamline / Interscope / Columbia
Release date: September 19, 2014
By Shawal Ras
Follow @shawalras
60 years of age gap between Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga doesn't stop 'em from teaming up and tackle the great American jazz songbook. Cheek to Cheek is a prime example of why the mass audience should regularly listen to such music, and pop stars to stop showcasing their behinds instead of their vocal prowess.
Picking herself up after the failure of ARTPOP, Gaga (real name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) opted for an 180 degrees of change; from theatrical-centric pop sensation to a much glamour jazz singer (albeit still being theatrical-centric - in a good way, of course). It is true of what have been said in the media: working with Bennett does wonders for her.
At the age of 80, Bennett gave a whole lot of space for Gaga in this fancy record. If you've been listening to her non-single tracks, you should know how gifted this lady is. Despite only covering songs from the old American jazz collection, she makes it her own, particularly with 'Lush Life', 'Anything Goes', and 'But Beautiful' where she sound beautiful in the lower range vocal and kinda reflective - which is great for any well-written songs!
I, for once, can actually make some tea and listen to this in the middle of of a rainy Saturday. Delightful, isn't it?
Even though it's a head-turning collaborative effort, Cheek to Cheek is not a great album but still, it is an enjoyable one. There's no imagination to it and definitely no surprise element within this album, but, with Lady Gaga on board, people will still pay some money to buy this one.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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