Classic Songs: My Way

AMG Review of Classic Songs: My Way

John Bush
All Music Guide

Paul Anka's Rock Swings was one of the best albums of its type, that being the sort where a swinging singer reimagines a set of contemporary songs in a radically different setting. There were far more successes than novelties, and it earned Anka -- deservedly -- his best reviews in at least a decade. Classic Songs: My Way includes 11 more that are just as ingeniously selected and performed, plus a pair of Anka classics re-recorded as duets. The covers (or interpretations, depending on whether you're a fan of rock music or vocal) are up to the same high level as Rock Swings. Highlights include a brisk, finger-snapping version of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," a poignant reading of the Duran Duran ballad "Ordinary World," and a brassy reading of "I Go to Extremes," originally by one of rock's biggest swingers, Billy Joel. In comparison, the re-recordings fare poorly. Although Michael Bublé shows fine chops on "You Are My Destiny," Jon Bon Jovi fails utterly to understand how to approach "My Way" amidst a tone-deaf and keyboard-heavy arrangement.