![]() Sir Rod has made his Atlantic Crossing - and he has no plans for a return journey after deciding to quit his life in Los Angeles once and for all in order to settle down back in the UK, has learned. Other guests on the night included actress Ellie Bamber, Liam Gallagher's youngest son Gene, a shaggy-haired Liam Payne and socialite Emma Weymouth. Hard to miss: The veteran star looked appropriately smart in an extravagant gold and black striped suit, matched with a casually loose leopard print tie Joining him at the event, wife Penny, 52, turned heads in an ivory silk evening dress with a cinched waist - a look she teamed with strappy silver heels.Įvidently in high spirits, Sir Rod planted a kiss on Penny's cheek while posing for photographers, but the diminutive rocker appeared to be straining his neck to make contact with the statuesque model and photographer. Sir Rod teamed the bold look with a smart white dress shirt, while distinctive gold patterned slip-ons caught the eye as he made his way inside the Mayfair venue. The veteran star looked appropriately smart in an extravagant gold and black striped suit, matched with a casually loose leopard print tie. London born Sir Rod wants to stay close to his roots after growing tired of the southern California city's 'toxic culture' - and he was in his element while attending a 60th anniversary celebration for celebrated nightspot Annabel's in his home city. It comes after Sir Rod was in the mood to party as he stepped out with wife Penny Lancaster on Thursday evening, shortly after putting his Los Angeles mansion up for sale. 'I've also done a fantastic swing album with Jools Holland which is more Louis Prima than Frank Sinatra. 'I want to move on and I've always wanted to do The Great American Songbook live. And, in that light, Rod's promise in the liner notes of "just think, this is only Volume IV" reads a bit like a threat.All change: He is scheduled for two gigs at Edinburgh Castle this July but has admitted that it's time to bring the curtain down on his rock performances (pictured in March) But for fans who not only cherish his '70s work, but stuck by him through the patchy '80s and could find worthwhile moments on such latter-day albums as When We Were the New Boys, these Great American Songbooks are not just tiresome, but rather depressing. So, bully for Rod the Mod - he's found a way to have a successful career as a veteran without embarrassing himself as he did on Human. ![]() But they are successful, since they appeal to listeners raised on rock yet who are nostalgic for their parents' music, without wanting to hear the original recorded versions. So, they're not great records, either by the yardstick of Rod Stewart's own work - and, don't forget, he's made more than his fair share of great records - or by the standard of traditional pop. ![]() Rod's voice is still not suited for these songs and the songs aren't arranged imaginatively they're arranged to remind the listener of other, better versions of the same tunes. He didn't do that kind of ad lib on the first three albums, and he sounds a lot more casual overall on this fourth volume than he has before, but these are very minor differences: this remains the same sleepy, faux-classy music as before. Needless to say, it makes for rather boring listening and Stewart is starting to seem a little restless too, interjecting more "baby"s and "oh, Diana"s to his duet with Diana Ross on "I've Got a Crush on You" than necessary. Sure, there is an ever-increasing number of duets on the records - the first had none, the second had two, the third had four, and this has seven, including instrumental appearances by George Benson and Chris Botti - but the arrangements never are risky and always sound better suited for background music in a cocktail bar than on record. 4 and the first or either that came between. ![]() Four albums in, producers may have come and gone - Phil Ramone left last time, Richard Perry is no longer around, leaving producer Steve Tyrell and arranger Bob Mann as the men in charge (of course, Clive Davis, the mastermind behind this whole shebang, is still around) - but it's nearly impossible to tell the differences between Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Vol. Ever since he successfully reinvented himself as a lazy lounge singer in 2002 with It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook, Rod Stewart has been reliable as clockwork, releasing a collection of classic pop standards - predictable choices performed predictably - every second or third week of October. ![]()
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