Stardust... The Great American Songbook, Volume III

1	Embraceable You 3:30
2	For Sentimental Reasons 3:01
3	Blue Moon / Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert Band 4:05
4	What a Wonderful World / Stevie Wonder 4:30
5	Stardust 4:01
6	Manhattan 2:53
7	'S Wonderful 3:24
8	Isn't It Romantic 3:50
9	I Can't Get Started 3:23
10	But Not for Me 3:22
11	A Kiss to Build a Dream On 3:13
12	Baby, It's Cold Outside 3:51
13	Night and Day 3:08
14	A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square 4:03

Barnes & Noble

Rod Stewart has proved by now that his involvement with American popular song is more than infatuation. His third volume of standards displays the same verve and good-natured ease as his two earlier editions, but here Stewart’s interpretations have grown richer in feeling and even more expressive. He’s still working with the cream of the crop: Cole Porter, Frank Loesser, Rodgers and Hart, and Hoagy Carmichael are among the supremely gifted composers Stewart draws upon for classic material. And he’s bringing more top-notch talent into the mix to join in the fun, including Eric Clapton, who contributes an acoustic guitar solo on “Blue Moon”; Stevie Wonder, who adds his harmonica to “What a Wonderful World”; and, in charming vocal duets, Bette Midler (on "Manhattan") and Dolly Parton (on "Baby It's Cold Outside"). When it comes to the Great American Songbook, the former Mod has barely scratched the surface; they’ll be plenty more volumes of this heartfelt series to look forward to before he’s through. William Pearl

All Music Guide

If the cover of Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 3 is any indication, Rod Stewart is getting a little tired of the classy act he's put on over the last two years, as a crooner of pop standards. Gone are the straightforward portrait shots, and in their place is a jokey picture of Rod with a pair of hot legs. It unwittingly looks like a grown-up variation of the Blondes Have More Fun cover from 26 years ago (Rod still has the same basic hairdo, bless his heart), and it's a welcome glimpse of the roguish charm and laddish sense of humor that used to be Stewart's calling card. As for the music, for all intents and purposes it's pretty much the same as it was on the first two installments of The Great American Songbook. But to Stewart's credit, he's sounding a bit more comfortable on this third go-round -- he doesn't sound as uptight, nor as mannered, as he did before. Part of this may be due to a shift in producers. Phil Ramone, who co-produced the first two, has left and has been replaced by Steve Tyrell, who releases albums in a similar vein himself. Under his watch, Stewart doesn't sound quite so studious and tentative, and the arrangements aren't quite so fussy, which ultimately makes for a better record. Stephen Thomas Erlewine