Unique duets albums reveal secrets of septuagenarians’ success

Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick and Smokey Robinson are 71, 73 and 74 years old, respectively. While their voices are no longer as supple as they were in their heyday (yes, Barbra Streisand is a glorious rarity), their brand-new duets albums showcase the skills and performing savvy that have helped make them rise above the unflattering effects of aging—and pop-music fans’ continually evolving tastes—and take music lovers on sensational trips down memory lane!

In “My Dream Duets,” Manilow gathers a “virtual” pastiche of musical tricks and treats as he cleverly adjusts to the career-defining styles of some of Tinseltown’s most iconic crooners and songbirds.

All of his singing partners are no longer with us, but Barry’s cabaret-style theatricality sells the illusion of chummily interacting with Andy Williams (“Moon River”), Louis Armstrong (“What A Wonderful World”), Dusty Springfield (“The Look of Love”), Frankie Lymon (“Goody Goody”), Mama Cass (“Dream A Little Dream”) and the riotous Jimmy Durante (“The Song’s Gotta Come from The Heart”).

The album’s gorgeous harmonies and uncanny duets stem from Manilow’s decision to create “digital” magic using his collaborators’ original recordings, garnished with appealingly contemporary arrangements that yield “youthening” results.

The effect is particularly stirring in “I Believe in You and Me,” his duet with the sublime Whitney Houston, who’s at the top of her game here.

Aside from some clumsy counterpointing, there are off-kilter moments that compromise the album’s technical flourishes—like Manilow’s awkward intro to “Moon River,” as well as his nonexistent chemistry with John Denver in “Sunshine on My Shoulders.”

When his novel innovations work, however, it isn’t hard to suspend disbelief that Barry is indeed flirting with Marilyn Monroe in “I Wanna Be Loved by You” and Judy Garland in “Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart,” or hamming it up with Sammy David Jr. in the contagious “The Candy Man”—truly a scrumptious musical treat!

Dionne Warwick

Except for her fun-filled romp with Ziggy Marley in the “reggaefied” “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” and the Autotune-reimagined “A House Is Not A Home” with Ne-Yo, Dionne Warwick lets her collaborators do the adjusting in her own duets album, “Feels So Good,” as she revisits her signature hits with a lineup of exceptional guest vocalists.

These days, Warwick’s voice has a deeper resonance and thicker vibrato, but her phrasing and emotive ability remain impeccable.

She discloses, “I have revisited these songs so many times in the past, but the interesting twist in the album is that—my singing partners got to choose which tunes to sing!”

Choice cuts: “Deja Vu” benefits from Jamie Foxx’s soaring, sexy vocals, while “You’ll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart” features a Luther Vandross-channeling rendition from American Idol Ruben Studdard.

Also worth a spin are Warwick’s duets with Gladys Knight (“I Know I’ll Never Love This Way Again”), Mya (“Close To You”), gospel artist Phil Driscoll (“This Guy’s/Girl’s In Love With You”), Cyndi Lauper (“Message To Michael”) and Cee Lo Green’s pounding cover of “Feels So Good.”

Smokey Robinson

Cee Lo also comes up with a winner in his duet with Smokey Robinson (“The Way You Do The Things You Do”) in “Smokey & Friends,” which features tunes Smokey had written, not just for himself, but also for The Temptations, The Supremes, The Miracles, Rare Earth and other Motown acts.

Robinson’s singing collaborators are just as impressive: Elton John (“The Tracks Of My Tears”), James Taylor (“Ain’t That Peculiar?”), Sheryl Crow (“Tears Of A Clown”) and the steel-voiced Steven Tyler, who belts the high notes of “You Really Got A Hold On Me” like there’s no tomorrow!

The album’s most memorable tracks feature the terrific voices of the appropriately stoked Gary Barlow (“Get Ready”), John Legend (“A Quiet Storm”), Mary J. Blige (“Being With You”), Jessie J (“Cruisin’”) and the complementary trio of the much-missed JC Chasez, Aloe Blacc and Miguel in “My Girl.”

If you need great tunes to decompress to after a long and tiring day, you can’t go wrong with the spectacular covers of Smokey’s enduring musical oeuvre!