Cheek to Cheek Review

The great surprise is how little she oversings. Given a room full of horns and a duet partner of eighty eight, Gaga plays it straight, phrasing behind the beat, holding notes only when the song wants it, and the technique is genuinely impressive. Anything Goes and I Can't Give You Anything But Love have real bounce. Lush Life, sung alone, is the best thing here and the hardest song in the set, and she gets most of the way through its self pity without tipping into camp.

Bennett is Bennett, unhurried and completely at ease. The writing is Cole Porter, Billy Strayhorn and Irving Berlin, so the words are unimprovable and none of them are hers, which is the honest caveat on the lyrics grade. The band is tasteful to the point of anonymity and the arrangements take no risks at all. It is a charming, well executed exercise that proves a point about her voice and adds nothing to the songbook.