Burt Bacharach - One Amazing Night (1998)

The Burt Bacharach revival began simmering in 1994, when Oasis featured his portrait on the cover of Definitely Maybe, but it truly reached its apex in 1998. Not only did Rhino release a lavish three-disc box set of his best work, he made a genuine artistic comeback with his collaboration with Elvis Costello, Painted from Memory and was still riding high from his cameo in Mike Myers' cult comedy classic, Austin Powers. He also gave an all-star concert in the spring, which found everyone from Dionne Warwick to Sheryl Crow showing up to salute Bacharach and his classic songs. Good intentions don't necessarily make for good music, however, and One Amazing Night, the aural document of the concert, is proof that. Like any tribute album, it's quite uneven, ranging from the sublime to the irritating in the switch of a track. There's little question that all the artists involved have genuine affection for Bacharach, but many of the featured musicians simply don't have the technique to pull off these songs, which are often much more difficult than they appear. Still, there are enough good moments -- Costello on "God Give Me Strength," Ben Folds Five's "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," All Saints' "There's Always Something There to Remind Me" -- to maintain the interest of Bacharach fans for one listen, even if it doesn't quite hold up to repeated listens.