All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann Bobby Short embarked on his series of songbook albums with one devoted to Cole Porter, followed by a Noël Coward volume. Those seemed like obvious choices for a cabaret artist adept at delivering the witty patter songs devised by such verbal masters. For his third outing, Short turns to Gershwin, and in this case that name refers both to composer George Gershwin and his lyricist brother Ira Gershwin. (There are four early songs here with lyrics by others, however.) Ira Gershwin is a less obvious fit for Short than Porter or Coward, as his songs tend to be unabashedly romantic, and while they display a love of wordplay, not as devoted to sharp wit. The closer match of ...