Duets

by Paul Anka

Overview

Released as a tie-in to Paul Anka's 2013 memoir My Way (really, would an Anka autobiography bear another name?), the 2013 collection Duets attempts to illustrate the depth of Anka's career through song, letting the singer/songwriter indulge himself with duet partners both expected and unfamiliar. There is a degree of posthumous trickery here -- he sings "This Is It" with Michael Jackson and "My Way" with Frank Sinatra, two vocalists long deceased by the time Anka assembled this album -- but Anka is such a creature of show biz that this sleight of hand doesn't much matter; arguably, it even enhances the splash and glitz of this deliberately showy album. There may be a little too much modernity on Duets -- Anka succumbs to Auto-Tune here and there, including on "Find My Way Back to your Heart," the only solo song here -- and there's the odd sense that he's trying to appeal to every possible audience that may exist in 2013, although nothing here could conceivably be played on modern radio. Instead, Duets plays like a fantasia of pre-MTV pop, songs designed for maximum radio play even when there are no outlets for that sound. There are some pleasant moments here, to be sure -- many of them play like throwbacks to 1990, including Tom Jones' new take on "She's a Lady" -- but it's a sound that belongs to past that's long since gone. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/09/2013
Label:	Legacy / Sony Legacy
UPC:	0887654848925
Rank:	58916

Tracks

1. Walk a Fine Line
2. Find My Way Back to Your Heart
3. Do I Love You (Yes, In Every Way)
4. This Is It
5. I Really Miss You
6. Think I'm in Love Again
7. Pennies from Heaven
8. Crazy
9. You Are My Destiny
10. Les Filles de Paris
11. It's Hard to Say Goodbye
12. She's a Lady
13. Hold Me 'til the Morning Comes
14. My Way

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Paul Anka   Primary Artist
Tita Hutchison   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background)
Peter Cetera   Primary Artist
Frank Sinatra   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Willie Nelson   Featured Artist
Tom Jones   Featured Artist
Gloria Estefan   Featured Artist
Leon Russell   Featured Artist
Patti LaBelle   Featured Artist
Chris Botti   Featured Artist
Michael Buble   Featured Artist
Dolly Parton   Featured Artist
Celine Dion   Featured Artist
George Benson   Featured Artist
Michael McDonald   Featured Artist
Michael Jackson   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Willie Nelson   Composer,Lyricist
Dan Shea   Arranger,Engineer,Producer
Tony Castle   Engineer
Paul Anka   Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Liner Notes,Photography,Vocal Producer,Executive Producer
Steve Genewick   Engineer
Felipe Elgueta   Engineer
Humberto Gatica   Producer
David Foster   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Vocal Producer
Patrick Williams   Arranger
Bob McDill   Composer,Lyricist
Claude Gaudette   Arranger
Jacques Revaux   Composer
Gretchen Brennison   Project Manager
Bebu Silvetti   Arranger
Claude Francois   Composer
Al Schmitt   Mixing,Engineer
Chandler Harrod   Engineer
Shinnosuke Miyazawa   Engineer
David Gleeson   Engineer
Johnny Burke   Composer,Lyricist
Maxime Piolot   Composer
Alain Joseph Yves Le Govic   Composer
Jack White   Composer
Annie Leibovitz   Cover Photo,Photography
Josh Cheuse   Design,Art Direction
Michael Thompson   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Producer
Lester Mendes   Arranger
Gilles Thibaut   Composer
Michel Albert Louis Pelay   Composer
Adam Greenholtz   Engineer
Tom Gioia   Mixing
Johnny Mandel   Arranger
Mandy Eidgah   Marketing
Patrick Murphy   Engineer
Jennifer Feinberg   Marketing
Brad Gilerman   Engineer
Dave Reitzas   Engineer
Kent Wells   Producer
Jon Crosse   Production Coordination
Mark Spiro   Composer
Rob Santos   A&R
Michael McDonald   Composer,Lyricist
Michael Jackson   Composer,Lyricist
Mick Guzauski   Mixing
Arthur Johnston   Composer,Lyricist
Tommy LiPuma   Vocal Producer
Buddy Cannon   Engineer