It Had to Be You...: The Great American Songbook

1	You Go to My Head 4:17
2	They Can't Take That Away from Me 3:25
3	The Way You Look Tonight 3:48
4	It Had to Be You 3:24
5	That Old Feeling 2:54
6	These Foolish Things 3:48
7	The Very Thought of You 3:20
8	Moonglow 3:32
9	I'll Be Seeing You 3:51
10	Every Time We Say Goodbye 3:27
11	The Nearness of You 3:00
12	For All We Know 3:24
13	We'll Be Together Again 3:54
14	That's All 3:05
15	[CD-Rom Track]

Barnes & Noble

At heart, Rod Stewart has always been a balladeer, a vocal artist who can convey a story of deep emotion through song. So it shouldn’t be that surprising that this intrepid talent has turned to the Great American Songbook for current inspiration. (Fans of classic rock will note that on the very first recording that brought Stewart to fame -- Jeff Beck’s Truth -- he sang a very credible version of “Ol' Man River” from Show Boat.) On It Had to Be You Stewart takes on the cream of the cream: magnificent standards from the likes of Porter, Gershwin, Kern, and other masters of classic popular song. Wisely, no one involved tries to overtly contemporize the songs. A brisk swing rhythm is amended to many of the performances, though, turning what might usually be a slow ballad reading into a brisker jaunt. The transformation fits Stewart’s characteristically optimistic delivery. With skillful assistance from producers Richard Perry, Phil Ramone, and Clive Davis, Stewart finds his way into gems like “The Nearness of You,” “I’ll Be Seeing You,” and “That Old Feeling,” making each sound tailor-made for him. William Pearl

All Music Guide

It's the kind of concept that seems brilliant on paper: revive the career of one of the great vocalists of the rock era by having him sing the great American pop songs of the pre-rock era. It was done before with Linda Ronstadt, and it worked well, so why not Rod Stewart, whose career was in shambles in 2002 following the disastrous modern R&B record Human? Clive Davis, the man behind Santana's comeback, masterminded the whole thing, and It Had to Be You was born. Again, the whole thing sounds good on paper, but in practice, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Certainly, following a throat operation, Stewart is singing better than he has in years, and he feels much more comfortable here than he did on Human, but the whole project has an artificial undercurrent that's hard to shake, especially since the song selection, the arrangements, and the performances play it so safe they're largely undistinguished. It's not necessarily bad, but it doesn't have much character outside of Rod's voice, and his soulful rasp isn't really suited for these songs. Nevertheless, this is exactly what it's billed as -- Rod sings the Great American Songbook -- and it's done with professionalism and ease, so it's a pleasant listen. But it won't replace Sinatra, of course, or even Ronstadt's similar work with Nelson Riddle. Stephen Thomas Erlewine