Aged 86 and a three-time Grammy nominee, on the Carl Sigman penned album opener and title-track Freddy Cole effortlessly highlights why his mellifluous baritone pipes are one of the wonders of contemporary jazz. Closely associated with Bing Crosby, who first introduced the song in the 1933 film Going Hollywood, Cole's immaculate phrasing and huge swing come strongly to the fore on ‘Temptation’. Penned by the late, lamented Richard Rodney Bennett in collaboration with Johnny Mandel and Frank Underwood, and previously taken up by one of Cole's favourite singers, the legendary Lena Horne, ‘I'll Always Leave the Door a Little Open’ is one of the album's standout gems – and the way in which Cole caresses the melodic line and infuses the lyric with such humanity is infinitely touching. The album's eclectic song list also includes a svelte reworking of ‘First Began’, penned by Maroon 5 keys player PJ Morton; a beautifully understated reading of the Kern/Reynolds 1914 classic ‘They Didn't Believe Me’; another 1940s standard ‘My Heart Tells Me’ previously recorded by Freddy's brother, Nat, and many others, plus a masterly cut from the Billy Strayhorn songbook, ‘Love Like This Can't Last’. Cole's regular collaborators, plus guest sax player Joel Frahm, provide wonderfully sympathetic accompaniment throughout.