The Gentle Rain

Tony Bennett was, at his best, a nostalgia artist. With the Rat Pack in decline, Bobby Darin and Bing Crosby dead, Mel Torme too ugly and Perry Como in semi-retirement, Bennett became an American icon --representing 'The Crooner' in the age of Michael Jackson and Madonna. But even if he was not the most important crooner, or the greatest, he still made some lovely music over the years.