Tony Bennett Album - The Playground
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| Album Information : |
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Customers rating:
(15 ratings)
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Release Date:1998-09-29
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Type:Audio CD
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Genre:Ballads, Childrens, Pop, Traditional Pop, Vocal, Vocal Pop, Vocals
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Label:Sony
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UPC:074646938027
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Approx. Price:$11.98
(USD)
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| Track Listing : |
| 1 |
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Playground |
| 2 |
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Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive |
| 3 |
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Dat Dere |
| 4 |
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Little Things |
| 5 |
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Put on a Happy Face - Tony Bennett, Rosie O'Donnell |
| 6 |
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Because We're Kids |
| 7 |
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My Mom |
| 8 |
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Swinging On A Star |
| 9 |
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Bein' Green |
| 10 |
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Firefly |
| 11 |
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When You Wish upon a Star |
| 12 |
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It's Only a Paper Moon |
| 13 |
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Inchworm |
| 14 |
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Bare Necessities |
| 15 |
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Make the World Your Own |
| 16 |
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All God's Chillun Got Rhythm |
| 17 |
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It's Christmas In Herald Square [*] |
Review - Amazon.com :
Tony Bennett's career was revitalized in the 1990s when a whole new generation was exposed to him via his turn on MTV Unplugged. But he spent most of the decade recording albums on which he demonstrated his love for Frank Sinatra (Perfectly Frank), Billie Holiday (Here's to the Ladies), Count Basie (Basie Swings, Bennett Sings), and, on The Playground, children. That he succeeds here--elegantly, as always--is due as much to his classic style as to the way he refuses to sing down to the intended audience. Even his kid-friendly duets with Kermit the Frog, Elmo, and Rosie O'Donnell are handled with dignity, though a few songs--including "My Mom" and "Being Green," with Kermit--are paced so leisurely that some children's attention may wander. They're well made up for with the bouncy, invigorating "Firefly" (also with Kermit), "The Bare Necessities," and the rest of the sing-along encouraging songs. --Randy SilverCustomer review - 1999-12-27
- "Bennett" Fits Fine 'tween "Backstreet" and "Brittney," KidsTony Bennett, at this point in his legendary career, is nearly incapable of making a poor album. Here, singing about, to, and for children, his work is especially elegant and empathetic. The title song, written by the Bergmans, is a jazzy piece of childhood nostalgia. His versions of "All God's Chillen' Got Rhythm," (featuring a killer brush drum solo!) "Paper Moon," and his versions of the Disney songs swing sweetly with help from the Ralph Sharon Trio. The final, unlisted track on my copy of the CD is "Christmas in Herald Square," a New York sequel of sorts to "The Christmas Song." Bennett sings it beautifully. "The Playground" is a wonderful place for children and adults to spend time. It's an album Frank Sinatra never got the chance to do and Dean Martin, well....
Customer review - 1999-08-03
- FabulousTony Bennett, the Muppets, the children and Rosie make a wonderful combination for this cd. My 18 month old daughter loves to listen to this cd in the car or just when we are at home. She is learning some great oldies but goodies.
Customer review - 2001-11-28
- Mom and music loverI love this cd! It is wonderful for for infants (my 10mth old bounces along with the songs), and adults (my husband and I never tire of listening to it on our trips from GA to OH). The cd's smooth melodies keep us all entranced and I really like the guest singers (Elmo, Kermit, and Rosie).
Customer review - 2000-02-21
- One of Tony's best everI'm not referring to the album as a whole because, even though it's very good, it's filled with up-tempo numbers that are often unimaginatively arranged; but this album deserves 5 stars because of 2 songs that demonstrate what a master of ballads Tony is. "My Mom" is a wonderful song by Walter Donaldson and performed perfectly by Bennett; his voice really is in great shape. This song is a heartfelt and sincere tribute to all good mothers. Even better, indeed, one of the very best Bennett recordings of all time, in my view, is the other ballad on the album - "Make the World your Own", by Michel Legrand and the Bergmans. Sung by Bennett, with just Ralph Sharon accompanying him with his usual sensitivity, this song becomes a priceless piece of grandfatherly advice. It's difficult to imagine the song being sung any better. Tony demonstrates his interpretive genius at its very best in some of the song's more telling passages. This recording truly is a late masterpiece in the Bennett discography. If you like great ballads beautifully sung, then you shouldn't be without this album. These two songs alone are worth the full price.
Customer review - 2002-02-22
- A warm, enjoyable concept albumAll in all, this is an excellent album. What Tony Bennett lacks in vocal range (he is getting up there in age), he more than makes up for with his warm and charming delivery. For kids, this should be a delight. For adult jazz fans, this is simply a very good concept album. I agree that the duets are a bit of a stretch in some cases. However, they fit the child album concept and are few and far between. Songs that I especially enjoy are Dat Dere and The Playground. (Dat Dere alone may be worth the price of the disc.) This is an essential release for the Tony Bennett fan, and a very nice addition for jazz fans and children alike.
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