Love sold

 

No need to introduce Tony Bennett: the 95-year old singer has been at it for longer than most listeners have been alive. As it stands, he now represents one of the last remaining symbols of music’s golden age, one that saw Frank Sinatra‘s Rat Pack cross paths with soul greats and rising rock n’ rollers. That era is all but gone, however Mr Bennett is here to remind us one last time how it all sounded back then. And he’s not alone: the multi-talented Lady Gaga is here with him…

The finality of this project sounds pretty genuine, in an era where artists announce their retirement only to come back for another world tour. Beyond sheer age, it became known this year that Tony Bennett has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for a while now, which makes it all the more incredible that he was on stage this very summer, at Radio City Music Hall of all places. For the last time, he said, and we believe him. Enter Lady Gaga — or rather re-enter: back in 2014, the pair famously released a duet album, Cheek to Cheek, which was both a critical and commercial hit. To the point of reaching the top of the Billboard 200 as well as winning a Grammy: it doesn’t get much better than that. The idea of a sequel had been on the table ever since, and Bennett’s 2016 diagnosis only made the venture feel more urgent.

Between 2018 and 2020 — right on time for the pandemic — the pair recorded what was to be Mr Bennett’s final LP, Love For Sale. Astutely choosing to interpret a collection of classic tunes by one of music’s greatest composers, Cole Porter. While the veteran singer’s health might have had an impact on the scheduling of those sessions, it incredibly doesn’t seem to have one on the actual work: although somewhat more subdued than it may have been decades ago — then again, who could blame him — that famous voice of his is still very much present, both in subtlety and range. And then there’s Lady Gaga: we’ve long known that the lady can literally sing anything, and could probably do justice to opera pieces if she so choose. It is no wonder that her incredible voice not only graces this album, but virtually takes over it.

Starting with the titular song, “Love For Sale”, a perfect example of that perfect combination: both singers naturally pitch perfect, surrounded by naturally stellar musicians. You also get solo tracks from each star, with Bennett sounding very much Sinatra-esque on “Just One Of Those Nights” — and rightly so! — while Gaga quite simply stuns on “Let’s Do It”. But what is admittedly most satisfying is the very duets we came for, with “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” being perhaps the finest takeaway from all this: a classic tune sung by one of the genre’s giants — and one of contemporary music’s brightest talents…

Thank you for the music, Mr Bennett, and for what’s still to come, Miss Gaga!