Tony Bennett and
Lady Gaga recorded
Love for Sale, their second duet album, with the knowledge that it was likely the last from
Bennett. Back in 2016, two years before the sessions for
Love for Sale started,
Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. By the time
Love for Sale was released in 2021, he'd officially retired from live performances. The
Gaga collaboration wasn't billed as
Bennett's final album, but given his health and advanced age (he turned 95 in 2021),
Love for Sale is more likely than not a farewell. The record doesn't have the gravity of a final statement, though. It's light and sweet, containing 12 breezy renditions of
Cole Porter warhorses.
Bennett's sung these songs his entire career but he still delivers them with a grin.
Gaga takes her cue from
Bennett, adding a bit of humor to her phrasing which helps temper her tendency toward the theatrical. The contrast is clear:
Gaga sings with total awareness of the audience, hitting her marks with a sense of flair, while
Bennett is pleasing the crowd with casual charm. It's a nice dynamic, one that gives the album a pulse and helps distract from the slight air of televised variety shows that permeate the record. This isn't a record where the songs and arrangements are at the forefront, it's an album that's all about the show and spectacle. Its pleasures are slightly fleeting but they're pleasures all the same. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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