The track that's gotten the most attention is Bennett's marvelous (from what I've heard) duet with the late Amy Winehouse, who apparently was an amazing interpreter of jazz standards. It's too bad she'll never have the chance to show us more of her talent... but that's another story.
What I was particularly interested in, though, was Bennett's duet with Josh Groban. (Disclaimer time: I am a huge Groban fan. I absolutely respect Bennett's talent and artistry, but I've never bought a CD of his in my life.)
Before I even heard "This is All I Ask," I came across this review: "Say this for the 17 popstars who teamed with the greatest living singer of American popular standards: They're brave. Luckily, Bennett rescues most of his partners. (Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli drip so much goop on their ballads, even Bennett can't mop it up.)" Um, okay.
And another review, from vivoscene.com, states, "Josh Groban is surprisingly mediocre in “This Is All I Ask"...." (I guess my version of mediocre is a lot different from that of this particular [unnamed] reviewer.)
I must disagree. To really get the song, you have to step back and look at it as more than two men singing a bunch of notes.Groban, I've read, is out of his element here because his singing isn't jazzy enough. First of all, I don't think he would have been invited to take part in the CD if Bennett didn't want him there. And second, it's not a jazzy song. Groban's smooth delivery (not "stiffly operatic," as Tom Ewing in the Guardian said — if anything, Groban undersings here) is a necessity. That comment has me wondering if music-critic Ewing has ever been to an actual opera.
The song is one of reminiscence. "As I approach the prime of my life / I find I have the time of my life / Learning to enjoy at my leisure / All the simple pleasures...." It's about the wisdom that comes with age and experience. We don't really slow down and take the time to smell the roses (so to speak) until we move beyond the racing pace of youth. Of course, the older man here is Bennett, and youth is represented by Groban, who is being schooled by the older gentleman (his older self?).
The song is one of reminiscence. "As I approach the prime of my life / I find I have the time of my life / Learning to enjoy at my leisure / All the simple pleasures...." It's about the wisdom that comes with age and experience. We don't really slow down and take the time to smell the roses (so to speak) until we move beyond the racing pace of youth. Of course, the older man here is Bennett, and youth is represented by Groban, who is being schooled by the older gentleman (his older self?).
Later in the song, the two come together in harmony, musically and spiritually — old and young sharing the refrain — and it's interesting that Bennett, all 85 years of him, is the one to take the higher notes. It's the ascendance of age and wisdom.
The pairing of the legend and up-and-comer is inspired and, dare I say it, brilliant.
Or maybe it's just a really cool song.
No comments:
Post a Comment