{^Warm and Tender} is a major achievement for {$Olivia Newton-John}, a majestic combination of {\lullabies} and standards. Where {$Eva Cassidy} found fame with her posthumous {\folk-jazz} version of {&"Over the Rainbow,"} {$Newton-John} takes the {$Harold Arlen}/{$E.Y. Harburg} classic from {#The Wizard of Oz} and gives it a mature and classy reading. {$Judy Garland} still sounded like young {%Dorothy}, even on her final recording, {^July-London-1969}, but this especially beautiful rendition stands on its own with the popular artist taking the beloved classic to a new place. The title track is a co-write by {$John Farrar} and {$Newton-John} for her daughter, {$Chloe}, who was the inspiration for these recordings. {$Newton-John} writes extensive liner notes -- thoughts on the recording of the disc as well as environmental issues. As a United Nations Honorary Ambassador for the Environment, the singer put her fame to good use, though without a hit single, the message hardly reached the millions of fans who purchased {$Newton-John}'s more commercial sounds. {$Carol Hall}'s composition {&"Jenny Rebecca"} and the songs that follow on {^Warm and Tender} play more like {$Linda Ronstadt} with {$Nelson Riddle} than the {\lullabies} that some of the songs really are. The beautiful strings of Melbourne's {$Victoria Philharmonic Orchestra} put the singer's voice in a very different setting than what her fans are used to. {$Newton-John} performing {$Rodgers & Hammerstein} must have been a totally fulfilling experience for her, and she does a great job on {&"You'll Never Walk Alone,"} {&"The Twelfth of Never,"} {&"When You Wish Upon a Star,"} and {&"Brahms Lullaby."} The revelation here, however, is taking the {$Burt Bacharach} and {$Hal David} classic {&"Reach out for Me"} and breathing a different life into it. Where {$Dionne Warwick} was the perfect '60s artist to bring the song home, {$Olivia Newton-John} puts her voice atop {$John Farrar} and {$Brian Mann}'s instrumentation and {$Sean Callery}'s synclavier. The result is as astonishing as the work with {$the Victorian Philharmonic} on some of the other tracks. If {$Olivia Newton-John} made {^Warm and Tender} to prove to the world that she is an artist with depth and courage, she achieved her goal. It's a marvelous recording. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide