Anything Goes is a Cole Porter classic, and has been performed by various singers since 1934. The information on the song Anything Goes is out of scope of this post, as I would like to compare Frank Sinatra´s Anything Goes to Tony Bennett´s Anything Goes.
Frank Sinatra´s attempt on Anything Goes is clearly spectacular. The phrasing and appropriate stresses on words show that Frank Sinatra is in complete control of the song.
It is also buttery smooth and continuous, which also requires a long breath. For example, the following lines
The world has gone mad today, and good´s bad today
And black´s white today, and day´s night today
When most guys today that women prize today
are all sang without taking a breath, while maintaining the very high control and performance.
When we look at Tony Bennett´s version of Anything Goes from his early years, we see that he can handle the same continuity like Sinatra, but without any style. This is just straightforward singing.
To be honest, it is actually surprising that Tony Bennett follows the melody because in certain cases, and I know this sounds brutal, Tony Bennett just does not follow the notes and simply reads the lyrics like it is not a song.
And lastly, let´s take a look at Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga´s take on Anything Goes.
Now I am aware that Tony Bennett is old, but what is this really? This is too fast for him. He is just trying to keep up with the tempo and reads the lyrics. No style, no control, which result in a weak delivery. I also must say Lady Gaga´s voice is a bad choice for Anything Goes.
But I don´t think anybody cares. Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga´s Duet album (Cheek to Cheek) is not an artistic album, it is a bridge between old and new generation, with very good marketing, just like Frank Sinatra´s Duet albums. At least Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga were in the same room when singing Anything Goes along with the other songs, still a terrible version, just like the other songs in the album.
This post was a bit of Anything Goes and more of my opinion on Tony Bennett and his current and old performances. I will write another post solely about Tony Bennett and his, in my opinion, wrong direction; because I think it is an interesting topic. Tony Bennett is one of the few alive singers of Sinatra era, along with Vic Damone, and although Bennett has some very good songs, he also simply killed a good amount songs, which is surprising for a singer of his caliber.
clearly you like better Frank Sinatra
So , Tony Bennet’s early years version lacks musicality? They are both great versions in their own right, no comparisons required. Jazz is about improvising on a theme, and they both do it their own way. I love ’em both.
Aww. Critics.Whada ya gonna do? Either hate um or ignore am.
Bennett singing into his 90’s is simply an exercise in nostalgia, but his Rogers & Hart sides with Ruby Braff, when he had his own label are excellent and demonstrate Bennett’s light touch, like Have You Met Miss Jones and Lover. I think Sinatra finally had complete control of his career. Bennett rarely did.