Though
Michael Feinstein
remained in the public eye throughout the latter half of the 2010s, performing live and appearing intermittently as a presenter on the Turner Classic Movies network, the onetime
Ira Gershwin
archivist went nearly a decade without releasing any albums. It was his first gap of more than two years since his 1987 studio debut,
Pure Gershwin
. He comes back to key influences
George
and
, for more than the first time, on his return, 2022's
Gershwin Country
. A set of 11 duets, each with different guests, it navigates timeless romantic ballads and what prove to be playfully old-fashioned, vaudeville-esque takes with giants of country music (and one with album executive producer
Liza Minnelli
). It opens with perhaps the most country-forward arrangement of the set, "Love Is Here to Stay," featuring
Dolly Parton
. The song's gentle steel guitar, fiddle, mandolin, accordion, and rhythm section, alongside
Parton
's sincere, timeworn vocals, add just the right rustic touch to the swing-era love song, which, like the rest of the selections, sees
Feinstein
trade lines with his guest. Generally speaking, the ballads work best here: a lovely vocal performance by
Alison Krauss
highlights "Someone to Watch Over Me," and
Amy Grant
helps deliver a graceful, straightforward version of "They Can't Take That Away from Me," while the more complex chord progressions and key changes of "I've Got a Crush on You" with
Rosanne Cash
fall more in the category of "twangy jazz." A song-appropriate slinkiness adds nuance to
Mandy Barnett
's version of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" Far from sentimental throughout, the album sees
Brad Paisley
deliver a rousing, stick-clacking "I Got Rhythm," including a memorable guitar solo that kicks off a series of rotating band solos and includes a quote of The Andy Griffith Show theme ("The Fishin' Hole"). Elsewhere, "Fascinating Rhythm," performed by
with
Vince Gill
the Time Jumpers
, even includes jump blues-style group response parts. However, the record leaves listeners on an elegant, only vaguely twangy edition of "Embraceable You" by
Minnelli
. Since, taken together, the set lands in crossover territory, only swaying toward traditional country from show tune jazz, (pun opportunity aside) the album perhaps should have been titled Country Gershwin, as the balance tips toward the songwriters. ~ Marcy Donelson