A Wonderful World (CD)

A Wonderful World
The majestic resurgence of Tony Bennett抯 career in the past 15 years has been marked by a series of shrewdly conceived concept recordings. A Wonderful World joins this illustrious group. Not only does it concentrate exclusively on songs that were made famous by Louis Armstrong, it also brings Bennett together with another major singer: k. d. lang. Bennett and lang had recorded together on Bennett抯 MTV Unplugged and his 2001 release Playin' with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues. It turns out that their easygoing duets were mere previews for this ambitious and brilliantly executed project. Although both Bennett and lang have their own moments to shine, the majority of World finds them singing together, and the combination couldn抰 be improved upon. Individual vocal excellence is matched by mutual respect, and the combination is deliciously winning. Neither singer tries to evoke Armstrong or his uniquely individual approach to a song; yet Bennett and lang抯 love for 揚ops� is somehow communicated in every breath. Although it sneaks in at the tail end of the year, A Wonderful World is one of the highlight recordings of 2002. Steve Futterman, Barnes & Noble