Editor’s note: In Sound Advice, the first Saturday of every month, veteran NEWS entertainment writer Dale McGarrigle, former British music-press writer Adam Corrigan and a revolving stable of NEWS writers review new albums from across the musical spectrum.

“The Art of Romance” (RPM Records/Columbia) – Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett continues to forge a path through the mediocrity that poses as music these days with an exquisite collection of love songs that encompass the good, the bad, the sad and the happy moments of being in or out of love.

From reflective to melancholy to exuberant, Bennett owns these songs from Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer and Stephen Sondheim, to name but a few. His voice continues to age gracefully, and while his range is not what it was early in his career, the cadence and force of his delivery remain spine-tingling.

For the first time, Bennett sings lyrics he wrote. “All for You” is based on a jazz number, “Nuage,” that Bennett liked. His son urged him to put words to the music, and Bennett came up with an unabashedly romantic love song: “Now I look into your eyes and live for you. Now my world is so alive, my dreams came true.”

“The Art of Romance” was recorded live in a seamless production with Bennett’s touring quartet and a 60-piece orchestra. The instrumentation is refreshingly original and some-

times unexpected: “Being Alive,” for example, gets a pounding rhythm from conga master Candido Camero.

In a nod to Bennett’s not-so-alter ego, Anthony Benedetto, the liner notes are graced by his portraits and pictures of him at his easel.

No matter the medium, this artist proves again he is a master. – Janine Pineo

“Stardust … The Great American Songbook Volume III” (J Records) – Rod Stewart

Did you ever want to like something and just couldn’t?

This may be your predicament after listening to Rod Stewart’s renditions of some of the most beloved standards by such luminaries as George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael.

The orchestration, while not extraordinary, is as smooth as any standards lover could hope for and includes rhapsodic solos: “Blue Moon” glows with Eric Clapton on guitar and “What a Wonderful World” gets a touch of whimsy from Stevie Wonder on harmonica.

The problem is Stewart’s voice. What works in a good rock ‘n’ roll song – that distinct, gravelly timbre that is his trademark – is a hindrance on these songs. His enunciation is horrendous, bringing to mind the scene in “My Fair Lady” when Eliza is talking with a mouthful of marbles. Stewart’s not quite that bad, but clarity can be a beautiful thing.

Stewart’s rendition of “Stardust,” the title track, dismayed me the most. When Stewart aims for the high notes (or sometimes any note), he strains and misses. The only redeeming feature is the trumpet solo by Lee R. Thornburg, who soars through the cosmos once Stewart stops singing.

The second-worst moment was the modernization of Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin’s “I Can’t Get Started,” a song of success in everything but love. In 1936, it was topical (“I’ve flown around the world in a plane, I’ve settled revolutions in Spain”) and mentions famous people and a date, as in, “In 1929, I sold short.” In Stewart’s version, it’s 1999, “Hillary C.” and the fact that “Tina Turner’s had me to tea.”

Like the song says, Rod, “I’m brokenhearted, because I can’t get started with you.” – Janine Pineo

“Futureheads” (Sire/Ada) – The Futureheads

Once upon a time, there was a band that listened to way too much XTC, and ended up putting out an album that sounded like a collection of wacky covers, but didn’t seem to list Andy Partridge in the credits. That band was The Futureheads.

Yes, new wave angularity is back again, as it seems to be every few years or so, and it’s tempting to dismiss another dismal tribute act. But while The Futureheads may have worn out several copies of “Drums and Wires” or “Black Sea” in pulling this record together, it appears they learned their lessons well.

With the help of Gang of Four’s Andy Gill — who also doesn’t escape referencing here – The Futureheads do occasionally transcend spiky for spiky’s sake. Along with Franz Ferdinand, they may not be inventing the late Seventies, but they’re doing their best to add to it – albeit, just a quarter-century too late. Perhaps The Zeros are just the Seventies upside down. Or not.

Still, with a couple of robotic nods toward Devo, a frankly frantic jerk of the head toward Oingo Boingo and an eyebrow-arching take on Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love,” The Futureheads are here for now.

You take your choice. It’s a travesty, a genre expansion or an exciting reinvention. So only some get to live happily ever after at the end of this story. – Adam Corrigan

“Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Music from the Series” (Epic) – Puffy AmiYumi

About the first example of bubblegum pop that most remember is 1969’s “Sugar Sugar” from the Archies (from comic book and Saturday-morning TV fame).

So maybe it’s fitting that an example of bubblegum pop for the new millennium comes from a Japanese duo that has found its way to America through an animated series.

Ami and Yumi, who have sold millions of records in Japan alone, are a studio creation, matched up by a management exec after their voices and personalities blended well. They’ve taken Japan by storm, and now are attempting to make a name in the United States on the strength of their past four albums and a Cartoon Network series (hence the album title).

As produced by former Jellyfish member Andy Sturmer, Puffy AmiYumi features a big studio sound with the two women’s voices out front and powered by guitar and drums. The music has the propulsive feel of the Go-Gos or the Bangles, while the lyrics on songs such as “Friends Forever” and “Joining a Fan Club” are much more innocent than those on recent albums by pop tarts such as Britney and Christina.

Is there anything earth-shatteringly original here? No. “Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi” is just well-crafted pop for adolescents that parents can feel good about while bobbling along to it. – Dale McGarrigle