Tony Bennett Duets II Plus DVD LIMITED EDITION 2 Pack CD and DVD

Wow, wow, wow, wow....words fail me, but I'll do my best.A powerfully moving and intimate journey inside the timeless stream of classic songs that continue to flow through generations, embodied in their purest form by Tony Bennett who has been the bridge and gracious steward. And in this honored role he is always true to the music, performing with honesty, a natural warmth and moving interpretation of the lyric and note. He seems to bring out the very best in his collaborators, often in such surprising ways, by providing a safe creative space along with a generosity of spirit, humility and contagious joy of singing/performing. It is particularly fascinating and delightfully unexpected to see the younger artists such as Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, etc., that are at least two generations removed from Bennett, grow into that space he provides and be transformed before one's eyes/ears. At least for me, I felt as though I was discovering these young artists all over again with an expanded appreciation of their individual genius, versatility, depth, intelligence and heart that is in the dna of all classic and timeless musicians and artists.Amy Winehouse was just enchanting, vulnerable and almost eerily sounding as though she were a reincarnation of Billy Holiday...a side to her I hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing, but one that seemed in some ways more fully realized than her 21st century persona, stylistically speaking. I later read that Amy's true inspiration had been Dinah Washington who it so happens had been a good friend of Tony Bennett's, which tightened their bond. In fact Tony said, after hearing of Winehouse's death, that she had been his favorite collaborator on this Duets II project. I can certainly see it in the dvd. They appeared touchingly close. A terrible loss. Truly so talented with so much more there to explore...and sadly gone too soon.Tony went TO the artists rather than having them come to him (or having the songs performed separately and then mixed together) and many of the recordings were done inside their home studios.The intimacy of this way of recording was clearly a key factor in getting these kinds of performances, and it caused me to realize just how one dimensional my experience of these artists had been, and perhaps how much can be lost when that closeness to the music and collaborators is left out of the mix.And on the dvd especially, that sense of intimacy extends to the viewer/listener. I felt as though I was an invited guest inside the room WITH the artists rather than relegated to outsider voyeurism.There are so many strong performances and great song selections on this dvd/cd it would be hard to choose just one though the Winehouse and Lady Gaga performances were especially memorable. But the one that lingers and keeps playing in my head is Tony's deeply moving duet with Aretha Franklin of the song, How Do You Keep The Music Playing?. Two titans of music in the same recording studio for the very first time? How can that be? I want MORE of these two together. I want a duet recording with just the two of them. PLEEEEZE soon! The tear that falls from Tony's eye as the two reach the powerful ascending climax is just more evidence of the heart at the core of their human instruments, infusing the song's lyrics with a profound beauty and significance for two who have kept the music playing for us all. Don't pass up the dvd - the raw, spontaneous 'performances' as much as their voice recordings, adds dimension that deepens and enlivens the experience tenfold.At 85 Tony sounds amazingly good like the rich flavor of an aged wine. John Mayer said it so eloquently that being inside Tony's voice is a safe feeling. A familiar, warm and empathetic blanket to wrap oneself in. I've fallen in love with Tony Bennett all over again and have the deepest gratitude and respect for his gifts and the gifts of all the artists participating in this project.I would spend my last dime on this dvd and the cd too. Of course I first saw it for FREE on PBS.And with any luck I suppose, the music never ends....

Excellent! He is truly missed!

Delivered on time, no damage and sound great, Good job guys.

By accident, I saw a video of Tony with Diana Krall ( from the first Duets) and was blown away. Never a fan of Krall or Bennet but bought that CD. All performances were wonderful except McCartney who being a favorite of mine, really disappointed. Glad I listened because I am a jazz fan, and heard a different side of Krall. That said, I next purchased this CD and was double blown away. Again not a big fan of most on the CD but found a new way to hear so many of their voices. I once heard Tony say he wanted to sing with Gaga because of her incredible voice. I’d never heard it, and what a blessing to hear her incredible range and adorable sweetness with Tony on this album. Faith Hill was another surprise! Gorgeous voice. Amy Winehouse was as sultry as ever. Made me miss the music she would have made, all these years later. Groban and Bocelli? Hard to believe, I know, that Im not a fan of either but both were superb. In fact the only voice I just didn’t like was Aretha who sounded like a screening ow. Yes I know, ouch but have to be honest here. Both CD’s worth purchasing, even though pretty old time, as much cheaper to download to my computer and upload to my Apple Music vs a digital purchase of both.

I was a huge fan of the first Duets album. I had wondered for a few years if a 2nd one had been released, then finally saw a notice that Duets II was out. I headed to Amazon and to order a copy. I was surprised that the rating was only 3 stars. I enter my order anyway and awaited delivery. I spoke to my daughter-in-law and told her I had placed my order and the first thing she said was that it only had 3 stars. So, by the time the CD arrived my expectations were on the low side, but I was still anxious to hear it. After I listen the first time, I agreed that it did not have the same initial impact as the first. But, as I've listened over the past few weeks I've come to really appreciate Duets II! I especially like the songs with Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse. The first album contains the best song Tony had to offer, many of which were classics. With II I was not as familar with the material, or knew them from other covers. I hope you end up enjoying Duets II as much as I have.

Love the duetsGreat product and easy listening

The compression present in the streaming of this album that I heard was slightly mind numbing, but that isn't the case with this vinyl pressing. I should add that not one of the performances strike me as dull or uninspired on this pressing.I might personally mostly prefer the artists on the list to that of it's predisessor, but the first of his "Duets" LPs is also phenomenal and somewhat well-regarded, rightly so.Do yourself a favor and don't miss a chance to enjoy this collection that, at least in my mind, I favor. Especially since the first "Duets" LP was released without a vinyl edition, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "Duets II" on vinyl if you're a fan of any of these artists, and enjoy.