The Ultimate Tony Bennett

1	I Left My Heart in San Francisco 2:52
2	Because of You 2:58
3	Rags to Riches 2:50
4	Just in Time 2:34
5	Stranger in Paradise 3:06
6	The Boulevard of Broken Dreams 2:31
7	I Wanna Be Around 2:11
8	The Good Life 2:16
9	The Shadow of Your Smile 3:38
10	Put on a Happy Face 2:39
11	If I Ruled the World 3:02
12	Smile 3:34
13	Night and Day 3:36
14	How Do You Keep the Music Playing? 4:21
15	Mood Indigo 4:35
16	Blue Velvet 3:02
17	Steppin' Out With My Baby 2:54
18	When Joanna Loved Me 3:07
19	When Do the Bells Ring for Me 2:58
20	The Best Is Yet to Come 2:33

Barnes & Noble

Tony Bennett, our premier popular vocalist, knows a good song when he comes upon it. This single-disc collection, culled from Bennett's 40-plus-year career at Columbia Records, is stocked with first-rate tunes, many of which Bennett helped make standards: "The Good Life," "I Wanna Be Around," "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Stranger in Paradise," and, of course, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Yet hear how he puts his own mark on all manner of preexisting material including "Smile," "Night and Day," "Blue Velvet," and "Put on a Happy Face," even daring to venture into Sinatra territory with "The Best Is Yet to Come." What Bennett brings to it all is an irrepressible, optimistic spirit; a warming glow that's impossible not to respond to. His voice has mellowed beautifully over the years. Today Bennett brings a lifetime of experience to a song, for a heartening effect. (His 1999 rendition of Ellington's "Mood Indigo" is exceptional proof of his maturing artistry.) In short, this collection helps to support the claim that Bennett is the best we've got and has been a major artist for decades. William Pearl

All Music Guide

The 20 tracks on this anthology cover Bennett's entire career at Columbia, from his 1951 number one single "Because of You" to "Mood Indigo" from 1999's Hot and Cool: Bennett Sings Ellington. Note, however, that "entire career at Columbia" is not synonymous with Bennett's entire career, as there's nothing representing the span between the mid-'60s and the mid-'80s. Since the best Bennett is from the 1950s and early '60s, anyway, that doesn't signify any great loss, particularly as the track selection is considerably weighted toward that era, with 15 of the 20 songs dating from 1951-1965. A 20-song compilation isn't an adequate overview of a singer who has recorded so much material, even in commercial terms; not one of his eight Top 40 singles from 1956 is here, for instance. For those who really want to dig deep into his repertoire, some other compilations, such as the box set 40 Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett and Jazz, might serve some fans better. For the casual fan, though, this might be the best choice, as it does include the songs listeners are most likely to be familiar with: "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," "Because of You," "Rags to Riches," "I Wanna Be Around," and well-selected non-hits like "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Gigolo and Gigolette)" and "Put on a Happy Face." Richie Unterberger