If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set (I Don't Need Her)

Loosely built around a travel theme, 1965's If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set finds Tony Bennett applying his impeccable tenor to an assortment of sounds and styles. Arranger Don Costa tastefully embellishes the tracks with swooning strings and murmuring saxophones, adding The Will Bronson Singers for vocal backup in key spots. Bennett selects material with an ear for contrasts, embracing the soft pulse of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Song of the Jet,” the after-hours cool of Duke Ellington’s “Love Scene,” and the carefree, brass-accented swing of “Two by Two” with equal mastery. “Watch What Happens” (from the film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) benefits from his thoughtfully romantic touch, while the ‘20s-era “Sweet Lorraine” is delivered with both verve and wistfulness. Most memorable of all is the title number, sung by Tony with a conviction that makes the lyric’s idealism fully shine. (The CD reissue includes the session outtake “Falling in Love with Love,” served up by Bennett and his trio with low-lit nightclub charm.)