Album Review by EDF
Few artists get a second chance. Least so with Frank Sinatra who found himself being attacked by the press. His marriages were stormy, his movie roles were forgettable and so were the songs he was recording. The tide turned when Sinatra signed to Capitol Records and released a body of work of such high quality that no artist to this day has equalled since.
During 1953 to 1961, when Sinatra released a new long player, it was an immediate hit. Not only was it Sinatra’s interpretation of the songs he sang that brought out the lyrical quality of the songs, it also had to do with the music as well. While every collaboration was fruitful, one arranger stood above all the others. Nelson Riddle arranged the music around Sinatra’s voice in a way that not only wrapped itself around Sinatra’s vocals, it made his voice sound like he was part of the orchestra.
Cole Porter’s I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN was recorded in such a rush that the studio broke down in applause in recognition to what was put down on tape. Another song to note is LOVE AND MARRIAGE which was used as the theme to the comedy series MARRIED WITH CHILDREN. Don’t expect to find Sinatra classics such as MY WAY and THEME FROM NEW YORK, NEW YORK; they were recorded after he left Capitol Records. The only gripe I have is that the ballad ANGEL EYES is not included here but as far as this collection goes, everything from this period of Sinatra’s recording carrier is all good. Cool would never sound as good ever again.
