Record Reviews

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

Album: “Cheek to Cheek” (Interscope/Columbia)

Grade: A

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga have a chemistry on “Cheek to Cheek,” starting with the opening track, Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,” with the duo trading lines in a bright, brassy big-band swing arrangement. A sassy Gaga enthusiastically belts out her lines, while Bennett is as always elegant and precise in his phrasing.

Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” and Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing [If It Ain’t Got That Swing]” are both briskly paced with Gaga’s high register vocals spinning around Bennett’s middle-range lines with the two engaging in some crisp harmonizing and occasional scatting. On the Nat King Cole hit “Nature Boy,” Gaga shows a different side, breathily caressing the lyrics and softly blending her lines with Bennett’s, backed by a lush orchestral arrangement and the late Paul Horn’s airy flute solo.

The only surprise with Bennett is how vibrant he sounds at 88 with a voice that though raspier than in his early years has matured gracefully like fine wine, taking on more emotional depth. Gaga, who says she intends to record more jazz albums, has great potential as a jazz singer and could learn much from Bennett.

— Charles J. Gans, Associated Press

Kenny Chesney

Album: “The Big Revival” (Blue Chair/Columbia)

Grade: B+

Kenny Chesney took a year off before recording his new album, “The Big Revival,” and it shows. Cohesive in scope, “The Big Revival” suggests the veteran country star is determined to extend his two-decade string of top 10 hits — something he has achieved with first single, “American Kids.”

Chesney has continually tinkered with his sound, growing more introspective in recent years while remaining the king of the arena sing-along. Chesney’s forte is that even his rockers offer snapshots of the lives of his fans, as he does here on “Beer Can Chicken,” which he co-wrote. A rocker such as “Drink It Up” avoids the cliches flowing through contemporary country songs by injecting some real-life gravitas.

— Michael McCall, Associated Press