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Michael Feinstein: Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin

By AAJ Staff
January 21, 2003
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Michael Feinstein: Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin

Predominantly composed with the warm and familiar intimacy of his famed cabaret sets, Michael Feinstein’s latest release panders a bit to the popular and loses some credibility in the process. A noted expert on the life, times and music of Mr. Gershwin who has performed this material many times before, Feinstein fittingly joins the throngs paying tribute to the centenarian songwriter with this set of fifteen selections, including one on which George himself provides the instrumentation (by way of one of his famous piano rolls).

Though he may be known as the contemporary keeper of the Gershwin standard, Michael allows George’s legacy to flag somewhat. Instead of treating these timeless songs with the standard simplicity they deserve, Feinstein opts for touches of the bastardized "smooth jazz" format, including percussion tracks and other synthesized lines which actually deteriorate the album’s synthesis. Though most of the album is lovingly concocted and tasteful, the few divergences leave an aftertaste which may not be pleasing to the savvy Gershwin or Feinstein fan.

Track Listing

1. Embraceable You 2. Nobody But You 3. Love Is Here to Stay 4. Do It Again 5. Of Thee I Sing 6. Funny Face 7. Lonely Boy 8. Shall We Dance? 9. Oh, Gee! Oh, Joy! 10. Delishious 11. I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise 12. Love Walked In 13. Comes the Revolution 14. Soon 15. Swanee

Personnel

Michael Feinstein

piano and vocals

Album information

Title: Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

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