Picks and Pans Review: 'Smile: Songs from the Movies'

Lyle Lovett (Curb/MCA)

There is no better match of singer and song than Lovett and “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You?” The swingy, scatty ’40s jazz number, which Lovett recorded for 2002’s Kissing Jessica Stein soundtrack, is one of the 12 movie gems on this well-conceived compilation. Lovett is just as comfortable on Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” the old Nat King Cole hit “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and the irresistible Ray Charles classic “What’d I Say.” Throughout this disc, Lovett is nicely backed by swing-friendly musicians, but the man with the big hair remains the center of attention.–R.N.
BOTTOM LINE: Great singer, great songs