Album Reviews : * Tony Bennett, “Here’s to the Ladies,” Columbia.

Given Bennett’s interpretive limitations, having him do readings of songs with prior associations to Barbra Streisand, Lena Horne, etc., isn’t a bad idea. But too often his versions simply don’t compare with the originals. The album’s best moments are in tunes such as “I’m in Love Again,” in which Bennett’s husky, late-night-in-the-city timbre is in the foreground.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).