CLASSIC SONGS, MY WAY - PAUL ANKA
On the surface, it’s a punch line: 66-year-old crooner attempts a Tony Bennett return to cool by covering Van Halen and the Killers in big band style. But maybe because of his hit songwriter’s ear or his five young daughters, Paul Anka’s interpretations (here and on 2005’s “Rock Swings”) aren’t campy — they’re insightful. Who knew that Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” had the lyrical cadence and melodic pop to work as a finger-snapping Count Basie-style show-opener? Or that Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” could conjure an Edward Hopper lonely diner tableau as effectively as Sinatra’s “One for My Baby?” Hearing Anka sing “Mr. Brightside” is like catching your dad watching “Flavor of Love.” But piloted by thoughtful arrangements and Anka’s still-youthful voice, “Classic Songs” bridges the generation gap like blue jeans and iPods. Classic Songs, My Way
