The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern
functions as something of an answer to its predecessor,
Cheek to Cheek
. That 2014 duet album with
Lady Gaga
was suitably brassy and snazzy, relying on well-loved standards and pizzazz -- the kind of thing designed to stoke nostalgia vibes -- but
The Silver Lining
is a purer jazz record, an intimate songbook collaboration with pianist
Bill Charlap
; the difference can be heard simply in comparing the versions of "I Won't Dance" that pop up on the two albums -- the
Gaga
swings boldly, the
Charlap
rendition carries a wry resignation. Songbooks have been a standard item for
Bennett
throughout the years but if
recalls any specific album in the vocalist's discography, it's
The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album
, a record released in 1975 when
dropped off the major-label radar and his name was perhaps as well-known to record buyers as that of
Evans
. While there may be a slight wattage differential between
and
, the difference is due to scale:
is a household name;
is a star among modern mainstream jazz fans. Accordingly,
treats the pianist as an equal, giving him plenty of room to spin out long, liquid solos, passages that seem to glide out imperceptibly from his understated support. Often,
features little more than just the singer and the pianist -- when they're augmented by other musicians, it's just bass and drums, offering a bit of rhythm and color -- and this sparseness never seems austere due to the inherent warmth of the musicians' easy interplay, not to mention their individual voices. Both aspects are subtly showcased on
, and it's that delicate dance, where
enjoy playing together and apart, that makes this so charming. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine