Rewind

Frank Sinatra - Songs For Swingin' Lovers

Capitol Records

Songs for Swingin' Lovers was the first Sinatra CD I ever bought for myself, and I instantly fell in love with it. My favorite song on the album at that time was "How About You" which, if I'm not mistaken, was sung in the movie The Fisher King. I do like New York in June, thank you very much. And if I'm not mistaken, the song "Too Marvelous For Words" was sung to my very good friend by a very drunk music reviewer on her birthday.

I've loved the Chairman since before Swingers, before "The Rat Pack" movie on HBO, before "The Sounds of Sinatra" with Sid Mark went off the air on Easy 93.1FM. And certainly before the day they desecrated AM music by changing 1560's format from American Popular Standards to just American Pop and the age range changed from those in golden years to those in golden curls.

Kudos should be given to the brilliant conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle while I'm at it. This is the man who's acted as co-pilot for the Sinatra express on over 200 recordings. These two perfectionists have produced so many flawless albums that it's hard to choose just one to write about. But I choose Swingin' Lovers because it was MY first Sinatra (not including the warped vinyl recordings like "Wee Small Hours..." that can still be found in my basement) and not my father's or my grandmother's.

My Sinatra WAS a swingin' lover, a classy and brassy man, a pretty good actor, outspoken and forthright on and off stage. A true celebrity in every sense of the word, Sinatra was a fantastic interpreter of songs and an engaging performer to boot. And every song on Swingin' Lovers is fantastic -- bluesy and jazzy and finger snappin' good. His smooth, clean voice is so uplifting and artful. Sinatra put such personality into all of his songs, making it possible for someone else's words to come from his own heart. Well, it seems as though what I've written so far could be applied to any Sinatra album. That being the case, I would like to suggest that you pick up "Sinatra and Sextet: Live in Paris" on Reprise Records if you'd like to get the full flavor of this man's personality live, in concert. It's the little things that make the concert s'wonderful -- the little asides like reminding the audience that "ennui" is French, and to skip the soup before singing in front of a French audience. Not to mention the cracks he makes at his sextet. Classic!

It's just a shame that the next generation will never know firsthand how ebullient this performer was. He will be greatly missed, but always greatly appreciated by those who can appreciate a little bravado and a lot of good tunes.