Ever since he successfully reinvented himself as a lounge singer in 2002 with
It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook,
Rod Stewart has been reliable as clockwork, releasing a collection of classic pop standards every second or third week of October. Four albums in, producers may have come and gone --
Phil Ramone left last time,
Richard Perry is no longer around, leaving producer
Steve Tyrell and arranger
Bob Mann as the men in charge (of course,
Clive Davis, the mastermind behind this whole shebang, is still here) -- but
Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 4 is like the preceding discs in the series. There are more duets -- the first volume had none, the second had two, the third had four, and this has seven, including instrumental appearances by
George Benson and
Chris Botti -- and
Stewart does sound a lot more casual overall on this fourth volume than he has before, but these are very minor differences. These volumes are successful because they appeal to listeners raised on rock yet who are nostalgic for their parents' music, without wanting to hear the original recorded versions. So, bully for
Rod the Mod -- he's found a way to have a successful career as a veteran without embarrassing himself as he did on
Human. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine