Rod Stewart's
final standards album features Elton John and Dave Koz

Rod Stewart surrounds himself with another top-shelf cast of collaborators on Thanks for the Memory...The Great American Songbook: Volume IV, his fourth album of standards. Due October 18 via J Records, the set is highlighted by duets with Elton John ("Makin' Whoopee"), Chaka Khan ("You Send Me"), and Diana Ross ("I've Got a Crush on You"). Among the instrumentalists lending their talents to "Thanks for the Memory" are trumpeters Roy Hargrove ("My One and Only Love") and Chris Botti ("I Wish You Love"), guitarist George Benson ("Let's Fall in Love"), and saxophonist Dave Koz ("Nevertheless [I'm in Love With You]").

Stewart has also recorded Irving Berlin's "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" and "Blue Skies," Rodgers & Hart's "My Funny Valentine," Vernon Duke's "Taking a Chance on Love," Jerome Kern's "Long Ago & Far Away," and the title track, popularized by Bob Hope. Even though he told Billboard something similar after Volume II, Stewart promises the new set "will be the last [standards album] for now." Afterward, J will on November 15 box up all four releases under the banner The Great American Songbook. To date, the first three albums have sold a combined 6.9 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Having recovered from recent shoulder surgery, Stewart will return to live performance with seven U.K. shows in December, beginning December 7 in Newcastle, England. (Jonathan Cohen, via Reuters)