He’s a national treasure, no doubt about it. In his 50 some years of performing American popular song, Bobby Short has built a 5,000-song repertoire. If the Smithsonian were smart, they would sit Short down in a recording studio and let him commit his entire repertoire to the historical record. Often considered one of the premiere interpreters of Cole Porter and George Gershwin, Short not only has all their standards down flat, but can play the most obscure Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers, Arlen et al. song hidden away in some long-forgotten musical.

How’s Your Romance is a compilation of various love songs from Short’s current Telarc career, including five Cole Porter songs. This album is essential, if for nothing else, than Short’s debonair reading of Porter’s most sublime and clever set of lyrics on “At Long Last Love.”