Sings Michel Legrand

by William RuhlmannThe match-up of neo-pop crooner Jack Jones with composer Michel Legrand is a felicitous one, especially given that this album was recorded in Paris with Legrand arranging and conducting. The result is that the treatment of familiar songs such as "The Windmills Of Your Mind" and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" is less gimmicky than usual: Jones and Legrand slow "Windmills" down, and treat "What Are You Doing" in a more melancholy-than-usual manner. Elsewhere, Legrand's blues and jazz influences are on display, notably on "Blue, Green, Gray And Gone." Marilyn and Alan Bergman's lugubrious lyrics sometimes overstate the wistful tone of Legrand' s melodies, but Jones, by keeping his emotions in check, brings the two into harmony. The liner notes claim this is the singer's favorite of his own albums, and it is certainly one of his least compromised. So often, he has tried on record to balance his pop roots with the commercial demands of contemporary pop-rock; here, he is going all out in one particular style, and the approach works for him. (The album is a budget-priced release.)