The Playground

The Playground

Editorial Reviews
<"b00000c2857499"> 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 Silver

<"b00000c2856710"> From Parents' Choice®
Jazz great Tony Bennett, already a hit with the MTV generation, proves there is no age limit to his appeal with this delicious collection of vocal stylings for the very young and their favorite adults. It's no celebrity phone-in, either. Bennett is in top form, along with superb musicians - Ralph Sharon on piano, Clayton Cameron on drums, Paul Langosch on bass and Gray Sargent on guitar. The standout title cut sets the tone: jazz pianist Bill Evans' tender composition with evocative lyrics... read more