Rod Stewart: It Had to Be You ' The Great American Songbook'

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * * )

As a marketing exercise this is a marriage made in heaven. One of the most distinctive voices of our time singing The Great American Songbook, produced by Phil Ramone or Richard Perry; and the whole thing midwifed by one of the most powerful men in the music business, Clive Davis, for his new label.

It has sales success stamped all over it and Rod certainly makes a fine fist of standards such as Moonglow, These Foolish Things, Every Time We Say Goodbye and so on. There's an appealingly lazy, sleep-walking quality in his delivery of these mid-tempo moods and on tracks such as The Way You Look Tonight and The Very Thought Of You he confirms he is still a great interpreter of a lyric. Old Rockin' Rod fans will be bemused by his shift to such standard, even MOR, material and spurn this lavish, understated outing. But you can bet once the candles are lit, or while the guests are passing the pinot gris, this will be welcome background music.

Label: J Records