It's taken a while, but Tony Bennett is now recognised as one of the major vocal talents of our times. While a lofty few might still regard him as one of the lesser 'crooners' – a 'housewives favourite' or obsequious cocktail MOR stalwart – most will recognise his well-earned position as the last of a long line of great vocalists in a remarkable tradition of American popular song. Tonight, accompanied as he is by a modest (but brilliant) quartet, there is but a trace of the Tony Bennett caricature that many imagine when they think of Vegas grandeur, string-drenched schmaltz and the trademark untied bow tie. Tonight is about THAT voice singing those songs in a way that no one else can. Nothing must get in the way. This is Tony Bennett the jazz singer.

Tony (his on-stage persona is so warm that one can safely assume first name terms) was charming throughout and dealt admirably with his legion of middle-aged female admirers, all resolutely determined to touch the hem of his perfectly tailored trousers. Well-told anecdotes and wisecracks were kept to a minimum and song after song was delivered with verve, panache, some nifty moves and even the occasional twirl!

While his elegant sense of rhythm and skilful phrasing were as strong as ever, the earlier half of the show indicated that perhaps the reed was not as reliable as it had been in previous years. However as he got into the swing of things, a powerful and still enviable vocal range was strongly in evidence and any doubts over whether Tony still 'had it' were swiftly forgotten. A highlight came when Tony requested that all microphones be switched off and the hall was plunged into darkness. A single spotlight was all that he needed to deliver a spine-tingling reading of 'Fly Me To The Moon' that reached every part of the capacious Albert Hall.

To the rapturous delight of the audience, most of the hits were given an airing. These included evergreens such as 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco', 'The Best Is Yet To Come', 'The Good Life' and a stunning reading of the majestic 'If I Ruled The World' that was as exciting as it was impressive - not bad for an eighty year old! As well as the '60s classics, vintage jazz standards (ballads and up-tempo) made up a big portion of an always-compelling repertoire and were handled with dazzling aplomb by a truly great singer.