One thing is sure, Michael Feinstein won't be complaining about this review; he says he never reads them! 'Nice Work..' is part autobiography and part a personal look at the key themes and figures in the history of the Great American Songbook. As such, the personality of the author pervades the work, which could be problematic for some, since Feinstein is not reticent in expressing negative as well as positive opinions.

To some extent, this work is fairly iconoclastic; Streisand is barely mentioned and not particularly flatteringly so when her name does come up. Frank Sinatra is damned with faint praise, his penchant for extemporization of lyrics being an major source of annoyance and frustration to the author. Some of his iconoclastic tendency is explained by Feinstein himself as he makes no secret of the fact that he is a purist when it comes to the interpretation and performance of these American standards. As much as Sinatra is condemned for taking liberties, Astaire is cited for his straightforward and, by implication, authentic renditions of the material.

Defending such purist opinions has occasionally brought Feinstein into conflict with others in the business, notably Tommy Tune. Feinstein's description of the tussles over the treatment of Ira Gershwin's work in 'My One and Only' makes fascinating reading, though the author does make some attempt to see things from the others' point of view whilst not conceding an inch of his own position. He acknowledges that he must have appeared to be an upstart and a thorough nuisance without suggesting that anything would be different were there to be a next time.

Feinstein had particular cause to defend the integrity of Gershwin's work, since he had managed to find himself working for the great man, cataloguing his songs and generally being his eyes and ears on the world of entertainment when the lyricist himself was no longer able to move freely from his home. The chapters on Feinstein's relationship with both Gershwin and the formidable and unpredictable Leonore are probably the most fascinating in the book. The pages are suffused with love, warmth and poignancy and thanks to his vivid description, there exists a link between us and one of the great figures in a bygone age of popular music.

The other explanation for Feinstein's iconoclastic treatment of some of the most prominent popular singers might lie in his evident sympathy for the underdog, though this is a somewhat relative term. Approbation is heaped on some of the singers and lyricists whom he seems to feel are underrated or ignored by today's audiences and his stout defence of Harry Warren against the 'Harry Who?' brigade is a joy. Overall an enjoyable book, informative and entertaining but also one which the reader has to be prepared to find irritating in places. Feinstein uses the term 'scholarly' to describe his general approach to work but despite much that is insightful and analytical, this work lacks the objectivity, rigour and, perhaps mercifully, the dryness, of an academic tract.