The test of a real great singer is versatility. Rod Stewart has it! He's not only a legendary rock star but has become a great balladeer with the birth of "It Had To Be You...The Great American Songbook." He could also sing these time-tested standards from the Great American Songbook, interpret them with feelings and do justice to the songs as well.

I must admit that I only became a fan of Rod the Fab (a title I coined - Rod as the Fabulous interpreter of the Great American Songbook) when he recorded the standards from the GAS, although there were occasional hits he sung that really appeal to me like "Reason To Believe," "I Don't Want To Talk About It" and "You're In My Heart." And now I'm a forty-something fan!

He does it again this time with "As Time Goes By... The Great American Songbook: Volume II." As I mentioned in my review on Volume I, I grew up listening to these songs. Thanks to my late father who greatly influenced my taste in music and at an early age, I learned to appreciate good music and developed an ear for classy music. I took piano lessons in my formative years, thus enhancing my true appreciation not only for classical music, but also jazz standards as well. It was great growing up listening to the music of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Percy Faith, George Gershwin, Henry Mancini, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Kate Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Jo Stafford, Doris Day, Patti Page, not to mention Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Bach, Schubert, among many others.

This CD has flair, distinction and a great sense of style. Congratulations to the men behind this great production: Clive Davis, Richard Perry & Phil Ramone, and to all the musicians involved and of course, the star himself, Mr. Rod Stewart.

It's so nice to listen to these standards with new twists and flavors. The repertoire is tastefully chosen and interpreted in such superb and fabulous fashion with outstanding arrangements. It's hard to single out a favorite track for they are all winners. George & Ira Gershwin's "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and "Someone To Watch Over Me" are my top favorites. His renditions of "Where Or When," "I Only Have Eyes For You," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" are simply superb and oozing with charms. Other highlights are his engaging duets with Cher and Queen Latifah, "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" and "As Time Goes By," respectively. "I'm In The Mood For Love," "Smile" and "Time After Time" are all done in soothing and relaxing manner. My special mention goes to my favorite from the Broadway show, "The Music Man." Mr. Stewart brings new life and fresh style to this beautiful song composed by Meredith Wilson and popularized by the famous Beatles, "Till There Was You."

"Then there was music

And there were wonderful roses

They tell me in sweet fragrant

Meadows of dawn and dew

There was love all around

But I never heard it singing

No I never heard it at all

Till there was you"

I could listen to this CD over and over again without getting tired of it, just like I did with Volume I!

This is "A MUST-HAVE" for young and old alike. Wholeheartedly recommended for your listening pleasure now and forever.

I could not imagine a CD being any better than The Great American Songbook, Volume I, but Rod Stewart has done it again. Volume II is nothing less than perfection. From the haunting opening with "Time After Time" to the rousing duet with Cher on "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" this album is the best! Rod's raspy voice was made for these ageless standards that have us remembering how it felt to be young, to fall in love, to ache with heartbreak.

If you want the perfect musical soundtrack to put you in the mood for love, this is the one. I can only hope that there might soon be a third volume.

I have no idea why Rod Stewart never sang these kind of songs in the first place. I mean sure, he's got a few every now and then, but I'm not too into his style of music.

Doing these original songs on the other hand, his raspy voice is easily treasured as he sings lyrics we're all familiar with. The duets, which at first I cringed upon reading who they were with, are AMAZING! Cher and Latifah really pull through! Stewart makes you fall in love over and over again with each song as the album progresses. I'm impressed with his renditions on classics like "Time After Time," "I Only Have Eyes For You," and "As Time Goes By." He also has a smooth vibrato in his voice. He glistens notes with beauty and ease, and when he has to belt high notes, astonishingly, he reaches them without struggle.

My favorite track is the first one: "Time After Time," just like the first track in volume I. It's a great opener and promises you it'll only get better! Rod Stewart should be very proud of what he's doing with these 2 albums. Volume II is just as good, if not better than the first. I cross my fingers volume III will see the light of day.

I checked this out from the library the other day. It's fairly crass, in my opinion, and cynical and crudely executed, the complement of Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" career move.

It includes two alleged "duets", one with Cher, one with Queen Latifah (or whatever it is). The singers merely take turns singing verses, and then they sing in unison, and I mean UNISON, not octaves. Cher's and Queen's voices are strong in this range (I didn't recognize Cher's at all, by the way, she's a better singer than I thought), and Rod's is thin and weak and pathetic--in the "duets" and elsewhere.

The songs seemed to be programmed more or less randomly. The faux Charlie Chaplin (David Raksin of "Laura" really wrote the music, but he's never credited) "Smile" seems to me a particularly tasteless choice. About half of the songs have "synth strings", which should give you an idea of the care (or lack of care) taken with the arrangements. In "Where or When" Rod pronounces "when" like "win", which ruins the rhyme with "then", but oddly enough, he pronounces "when" correctly in "My Heart Stood Still" where "when" is not a rhyming word--he doesn't seem to be paying attention.

Skip this and buy Brian Ferry's "As Time Goes By" instead.

With so much great talent out there, one wonders why anyone pays bucks to listen to the falsetto sandpaper voice of a re-tread who's ruining beautiful standards. (Stewart sounds like he needs a high colonic.) Better to spend your money on Michael Buble, Steve Tyrell, Harry Connick or Joe Williams singing the standards....or simply save your money, dust off that good ol' Sinatra, Dean Martin or Sammy Davis Jr.CD and enjoy!