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
