JAZZ SPOTLIGHT

TONY BENNETT

“Steppin’ Out”

Columbia

* * 1/2

Accompanied only by the Ralph Sharon Trio, Bennett follows up last year’s hit collection of Frank Sinatra songs with a similarly minimalist approach to this set of works associated with Fred Astaire.

Good singers, of course, don’t need banks of strings, brass and woodwinds to help them make their points, and Bennett is no exception. Both his sense of time and his approach to phrasing have improved dramatically in the last decade, as he has positioned himself as a master interpreter of classic American songs. On grooving, middle-tempo tunes such as “Shine on Your Shoes,” “They All Laughed” and “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,’ Bennett’s articulation approaches the bright bouyancy of Astaire’s own readings.

The ballad interpretations, however, are more uneven. When Bennett keeps it simple with straight-ahead, uncomplicated readings of songs such as “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and “It Only Happens When I Dance With You,’ he sounds fine. With songs that evoke richer emotions--”All of You” and “I Concentrate on You” are good examples--he tends to lose the handle on both lyrics and melody.

Bennett’s biggest problem, in fact, and the aspect of his singing which always has kept him from reaching the Sinatra level of interpretation, is on full display here: a general failure to reach into a deep understanding of the stories implicit in each song. Too often (as on the ending of “All of You”) he seems content to shunt aside the story in favor of a self-congratulatory high note.

Still, if this isn’t a perfect album, it’s a pretty good one; and if Bennett doesn’t always find the real gold in these tunes, there are enough musical riches here to please all but the most discriminating listeners.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).