Fans of pop diva Lady Gaga are in for a pleasant surprise with “Cheek to Cheek,” her new duet album featuring living legend Tony Bennett. Gaga abandons her usual techno-pop anthems for crooning, schmaltzy jazz standards with one of music’s most stalwart figures. The album, featuring hits by the likes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin, is classic Tony Bennett fare with just a dash of Gaga — and it works remarkably well.

Gaga, 28, and Bennett, 88, are certainly an odd couple, considering the sixty-year age gap. Despite — and maybe because of — this difference, Gaga and Bennett come together to create something quite special. Bennett is known for his refined and unwavering decades-long career, while Gaga is pop music’s shock-performance queen and a vocal social activist. As duet partners, they balance each other out — if Bennett is the bass line, Gaga is the melody. As one, they have never sounded better.

A few highlights from the album are the titular track “Cheek to Cheek,” the rousing “I Won’t Dance” and the mesmerizing “Nature Boy.” In Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek,” Gaga and Bennett are in perfect synchronization. With closed eyes, it’s easy to imagine the performance happening in the basement of a jazz club at 2 a.m. and at a hoity-toity cocktail affair in Manhattan.

Similarly, the Kern-Hammerstein-Harbach showstopper “I Won’t Dance,” comes straight out of a musical — literally (it first appeared the 1934 musical “Three Sisters.”) The adorable back-and-forth between Gaga and Bennett builds to a thrilling crescendo sure to get even the most sour of sourpusses to tap his foot.

The album’s most haunting and gorgeous song is “Nature Boy,” first recorded by Nat King Cole. Here, Gaga and Bennett rely on the unique, evocative melody, underscored by a simple arrangement. It’s a blissfully serene tune perfect for a quiet afternoon stroll.

Gaga and Bennett each get a chance to shine in solo numbers “Lush Life” and “Sophisticated Lady.” With “Lush Life,” Gaga is at her most raw, somber and divine. Gaga’s unquestionably stunning voice is on full display here, proof there is real talent under her sometimes-distracting glitz and pizazz. Bennett also shows his softer side with “Sophisticated Lady,” first popularized by Billie Holiday. Anyone doubting Bennett’s vitality as a performer will be sure to reconsider after listening to this mournful and lovely rendition.

“Cheek to Cheek,” in a lot of ways, serves as vindication for both Gaga and Bennett. Gaga isn’t just a flashy performer in a controversial outfit, and Bennett isn’t an irrelevant reminder of yesteryear — as some critics might say.

They each show their depth and nuance as performers with this album. Relying on jazz and show tune classics sung by everyone from Frank Sinatra to David Bowie allows them to put their own definitive stamp on the American songbook. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett bring out something remarkable in each other, making “Cheek to Cheek” an utterly delightful listening experience.