It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook

by Rod Stewart

Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date:	10/22/2002
Label:	J Records
UPC:	0886919857023
Rank:	8509

Tracks

1. You Go to My Head
2. They Can't Take That Away from Me
3. The Way You Look Tonight
4. It Had to Be You
5. That Old Feeling
6. These Foolish Things
7. The Very Thought of You
8. Moonglow
9. I'll Be Seeing You
10. Every Time We Say Goodbye
11. The Nearness of You
12. For All We Know
13. We'll Be Together Again
14. That's All

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rod Stewart   Primary Artist
Michael Brecker   Guest Artist,Soloist,Sax (Tenor)
Rob Mounsey   Guest Artist,Piano,Conductor,Keyboards
Arturo Sandoval   Guest Artist,Soloist,Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Don Sebesky   Guest Artist,Piano,Conductor
Dave Koz   Guest Artist,Soloist,Sax (Tenor)
Harvey Mason, Sr.   Guest Artist,Drums
Shawn Pelton   Drums
Russ Kassoff   Piano
Doug Katsaros   Piano,Conductor
Chris Boti   Trumpet,Soloist
Jeremy Lubbock   Conductor
Willie Hollis   Piano,Synthesizer
Philippe Saisse   Conductor,Keyboards
Randy Waldman   Piano
Reggie McBride   Bass
Dan Higgins   Soloist,Clarinet,Sax (Alto)
Dave Carpenter   Bass
Bob Magnusson   Bass
Jimmy Rip   Guitar
Allan Schwartzberg   Drums
Dennis Budimir   Guitar
Andy Chukerman   Synthesizer Pads
Renato Neto   Piano,Synthesizer
Chris Botti   Trumpet
David Finck   Bass
Randy Kerber   Piano,Synthesizer
Bob Mann   Guitar,Soloist
Will Hollis   Piano,Soloist,Synthesizer Vibes
Jim Fox   Guitar
Chuck Demonico   Bass
Lee Musiker   Piano
Tal Bergman   Drums,Percussion
Jeff Mironov   Guitar,Soloist
John Ferraro   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Sammy Fain   Composer
Ben McCarthy   Production Coordination
Wade Childers   Assistant Engineer
Doug Katsaros   Arranger,Rhythm Arrangements
Johnny Kubelka   Engineer,Pro-Tools
Jill Dell'Abate   Contractor,Production Manager
Carter Humphrey   Mixing,Engineer
Don C. Tyler   Production Support
Timothy Olmstead   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Mark Rinaldi   Assistant Engineer
Daphna Kastner   Music Consultant
Andrew Felluss   Pro-Tools,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Bobby Ginsberg   Engineer,Pro-Tools
Jeremy Lubbock   String Arrangements,Woodwind Arrangement
Rob Mounsey   Rhythm Arrangements
Pete Karam   Pro-Tools
Willie Hollis   Arranger
Ned Washington   Composer
Phil Ramone   Producer,Vocal Producer
Mark Valentine   Engineer
Philippe Saisse   Orchestral Arrangements
Alan Brandt   Composer
Woody Woodruff   Engineer
Haven Gillespie   Composer
Will Hudson   Composer
Hoagy Carmichael   Composer
Lauren Wild   Production Support
Steve Deutsch   Engineer,Pro-Tools
Chris Steinmetz   Engineer
J.J. Blair   Engineer,Pro-Tools
Brian Cook   Engineer,Pro-Tools
Dorothy Fields   Composer
Don Sebesky   Arranger,Rhythm Arrangements,Orchestral Arrangements
Holt Marvell   Composer
Ryan Smith   Assistant Engineer
Renato Neto   Arranger,Associate Producer
Nick Howard   Assistant Engineer
Jack Strachey   Composer
Cole Porter   Composer
Larry Emerine   Production Support
Richard Perry   Arranger,Producer
Frank Filipetti   Mixing,Engineer
Alex Gibson   Engineer,Pro-Tools
Brian Dixon   Assistant Engineer
Gus Kahn   Composer
Harry Link   Composer
Trent Slatton   Engineer,Pro-Tools
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Irving Kahal   Composer,Lyricist
Jerome Kern   Composer
Ray Noble   Composer
Bob Haymes   Composer
Eddie DeLange   Composer
Irving Mills   Composer
Bob Mann   Arranger
Isham Jones   Composer
J. Fred Coots   Composer
Freddy Pinero   Engineer
Will Hollis   Arranger
Lee Musiker   Introduction
Tal Bergman   Arranger,Programming,Drum Programming,Associate Producer
Frankie Laine   Composer
Frankie Lane   Composer
Carl Fischer   Composer
Joel Moss   Engineer
George Gershwin   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Lew Brown   Composer,Lyricist
Sam M. Lewis   Composer