Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire
Grateful singers know thatFred Astairevirtually defined the Great American Songbook, beginning in the '30s with his legendary film collaborations with George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Jerome Kern. Stacey Kent pays tribute to Astaire inLet Yourself Go, the third stellar album for the London-based, New York-bred vocalist whose voice resembles a lighter version ofDinah Washington's.  Kent shines on both gorgeous ballads ("They Can't Take That Away from Me") and solid swingers ("Shall We Dance"), and adds an easy bossa nova beat to "'S Wonderful." Trading lines with her is Kent's saxophonist-husband Jim Tomlinson, who fronts the solid band. Flexible with the rhythms yet never straying far from the melodies, Kent also pays perhaps the ultimate compliment to many of these songs by including the oft-neglected verses. Tony Bennett's 1993Fred Astaire tributewas his breakthrough to the mainstream music scene. PerhapsLet Yourself Gowill be the U.S. breakthrough for Stacey Kent.--David Horiuchi