For those of you who've enjoyed Tony's work with pianist Bill Evans in the seventies you'll love this disc. In October of 1959 Tony Bennett teamed up with pianist Ralph Sharon to record an album of ballads with a simple format: one vocal, one piano.
Most of you probobly remember Tony singing with Ralph Sharon's trio in the nineties. This early collaboration focuses mostly on the vocals with limited piano solos(compared with the more adventurous Bill Evans sessions). Here we find Tony's seemingly limitless breath support soaring to a dramatic crescendo on numbers like "Where Or When", while showcasing his trademark sensitivity on "Bewitched(Bothered,and Bewildered)". His subtle treatment of that song almost makes you forget it was meant to be sung by a woman.
The overall song selection is top notch with the exception of two that seem to confuse silliness with sentiment. Tony's performance however, is seamless throughout and makes this uniqe record a must for any true fan.

A beautiful cover shot of a couple in love gives you what you can expect: Tony in a romantic mood, but his fresh, loud, minty-green vocals are perhaps a bit too brassy for such intimate songs as "Bewitched" and "My Funny Valentine". There are some sweet, lovely moments here, but Bennett's voice gained passion and depth as he grew a bit older. Not available on CD is his album "Alone Together", which creates a sensual mood out of romantic songs that this one cannot capture. He was still too young and too eager to show his range, although a few of his performances here are lovely and are worth savoring. B-