Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Here We Go Again, July 10, 2000
Ever since this album appeared in 1993, after the initial glow wore off, the knives came out to shred Sinatra and his Duets offering. I am so unbelievably sick and tired of these alleged Sinatra "fans" pouring forth their venom upon an album which, you know what folks, really is not all that bad. Shock of shocks, if you really LISTEN to the album without analyzing every note and musical substructure, it is actually quite a pleasure. No, this is not the Frank Sinatra of the continually fawned over Capitol years or even that of his early Reprise careers. That Sinatra was technically flawless on virtually everything he recorded, while at the same time being able to inject his music with emotional power. The Sinatra of Duets and Duets II is not as technically perfect as the man of decades (yes, DECADES) past, but what he lacked in 1993 in form and phrasing is more than made up for in wisdom and emotion. Why is it that Sinatra in particular is always attacked for getting older and for not being the singer he was 30-40 years earlier. Other performers don't suffer that same fate. Tony Bennett was and is a superb singer, but have you listened to the man lately, he is not exactly the same one who made I Left My Heart in San Francisco a hit 40 years ago. However, how often is he criticized or attacked for the ravages time has inflicted on his voice, rarely. Instead, the critics chirp about how great his new more fully jazz style is. No such reprive for Frank Sinatra. Those Sinatra fans who can not appreciate the full scope of Sinatra's career have missed the boat. I don't care if you own over 100 Sinatra albums (certainly possible with all the compilatins, repackaging etc), if you can't see the value, beauty and sheer impact of ALL the stages of Sinatra's career, you don't know what it is to truly be a fan of Old Blue Eyes. Those who can't appreciate anything FS did after 1968 are missing an entire and important piece of the legacy. For the Duets album itself, aside from Barbara Steisand (who I admire greatly as a singer, but simply can't stand to listen to) the Duet partners hold their own with FS and he with them. Even the Bono duet, much maligned, if listened to in the spirit of fun and exuberance in which it was recorded, can't help but make you smile. My only regret about the Duet series was that there was no Duets III and IV. In closing, what made Frank Sinatra great was the mere fact that anything and everything he sang had merit because HE SANG IT.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Combinations - Some "duets" better than others, January 24, 2005
As a youngster, I always associated Frank Sinatra's music as not being in step with the times. As I entered adulthood, I soon realized the error of my ways - that Frank Sinatra is one of the great artists of all time. Recently, I listed what I thought were the Top 10 musical acts of the 20th Century. I had The Beatles #1 and I had Frank Sinatra #2. I don't think this assessment was far off - after all, how many artists have a weekly music show (i.e. "Saturday with Sinatra") dedicated to them? However, in the world where the radio airwaves are dominated by Rock and Pop stars, Frank's greatness often gets overlooked. Sinatra wasn't a Rock Star, but a true Pop Star. His music could often transcend musical boundaries. Sinatra's "Duets" album provides a way to bridge Frank's greatness with what is being played on the musical airwaves. On "Duets", Frank sings duets with some of the best contemporary artists out there.
For some reason, I think "Duets" often gets a bad rap. Many people did not like this album. I found this a very enjoyable album. It contains 13 tracks (actually 15 songs becuse " two songs are medleys of two songs). All of these tracks are classic Frank Sinatra tunes. On each track, Frank is "paired" with a Contemporary Music Artist that will sing a duet with Frank. With some clever production work from producer Phil Ramone, the end result is a great product. However, there are two reasons I can see where some of the protest comes from this album: First up, this was one of the last albums that Frank would make (it was released in 1993). Clearly, one this collection, Frank is well past his peak - and you can hear it in his voice. However, I wouldn't have written off The Chairman of the Board just yet - at age 78, Frank still sounds head and shoulders above many other artists. The other reason is one that I can understand - Unfortunately, the Contemporary Artists that do the "duet" with Frank are doing so with a pre-recorded tape. Although Ramone does a great job at hiding this fact, it is hard for me to get this out of my mind. I keep thinking - "If Frank would have actually done this in the studio with each of the Artists - we would be talking one of the great albums of all time".
The best way to look at this album is to look at each of the duets. Some duets are what I term "dream matchups". Some will pull off the duet better than others.
"The Lady is a Tramp" is a duet performed with Luther Vandross. Vandross uses his classic soulful voice and it blends beautifully with Frank's. One of the better tracks.
"What Now My Love" has Frank teaming up with Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul meets The Chairman of the Board. Although I'm not an Aretha fan, this song also comes across beautiful - the contrast of Aretha and Frank's voices make for some great music.
"I've Got a Crush On You" - this song has Barbra Streisand performing with Frank. When I compare this with some of her other duets she has done (i.e. Barry Gibb and Neil Diamond), this one doesn't measure up as well. Frank steals the show here.
"Summer Wind" - sort of a "dream team" matchup between two great crooners - Frank with Julio Iglesias. Julio's Latin swing in this song compliments Frank perfectly.
"Come Rain or Come Shine" has Frank doing a duet with Gloria Estefan. Although this isn't one of my favorite duets, this is one of those songs in which the Contemporary Artist sounds very different from her normal environment - Gloria shows a different side to her music here.
"New York, New York" features another "dream team" matchup of crooners as Tony Bennett joins Frank. Tony's talents aren't limited to San Francisco. This is the collection's strongest set as Tony adds a whole new dimension to this song.
"They Can't Take That Away From Me" is a duet with Natalie Cole. I don't think this duet comes off as smooth as the others, but Frank's voice still shines.
"You Make Me Feel So Young" doesn't have Frank paired up with a modern singer. "Old timer", Charles Aznavour teams up with Frank. This is another "dream team" matchup - one of the outstanding numbers
"Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry/In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" is a two song medley with Carly Simon. Carly sounds much different than in her pop environment. She does an admirable job, but this duet doesn't mesh very well.
"I've Got The World on a String" has Frank teamed up with Liza Minelli. Liza was born to do a duet with Frank - this song comes off well.
"Witchcraft" has Anita Baker performing with Frank. This one is right up there with the Bennett and Aznavour duets as one of the elite ones on the collection. Baker's voice really blends well with Frank's.
"I've Got You Under My Skin" has Frank teamed up with U2's Bono! Bono does a great job on this one. He proves how versatile he is.
"All The Way/One For My Baby" is the one song where Frank sings solo. He is actually teamed up with Kenny G on this one. Kenny G only provides instrumentals on this one. I'm not a Kenny G fan, but I like what he brings to this song.
The liner notes contain a cover picture of Frank my LeRoy Neiman. The CD is actually packaged in a jewel case with a cardboard slipcase. There is a nice eight page writeup on the making this CD by David Wild. The lyrics for each song are not included, but the production credits are. This CD could have been more, but it still is pretty good. I'd recommend checking it out.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good chance to hear a 78 yr old Sinatra....., September 9, 1999
Great art this album is not, nor does it ever try to be. For us Sinatra diehards, it is a nice chance to hear the elder Frank, maybe vocally challenged, but musically on top. Of course I wish that he had recorded solo at this stage, but the fact is that he didn't ...so this is what we have. I disagree with critics who claim that these Duets damaged his legacy. While they are not classic Sinatra, no damage was done because he always rises above the mediocre. I can see some disliking this album, but I honestly don't think that many will be disgusted by it. There are high moments on it such as...What Now My Love with Aretha Franklin...Frank is powerful and sounds like he's very into this song. "Come Rain or Come Shine" with Gloria Estefan is also wonderful and the singer does well. Sinatra is in command with raw, exposed energy. The "voice" may sound frail at times, but the emotion, energy, and persona is wholly intact. The cut that ironically is most successful is one that is not actuallly a duet (that says something, doesn't it) is One For My Baby. Schlock Saxman Kenny G, provides a solo intro to the song and then... Sinatra begins his storytelling to Joe the bartender and it's magic. It is not only great for this album...it's an important addition to Sinatra's musical songbook. His reading here is so emotional that you feel as if he might breakdown and cry at any moment. You hear the ravages of time and age, and the final plea of a lonely man begging one last time for somebody to drown the torch that is consuming him. While he sings, Kenny G only adds a few inconsequential licks here and there that neither add nor detract anything from the song. If you are dead set against the duets and the concept of them, then spare the price of this album for "One for My baby" . It is well worth it...It choked me up. The night I heard Sinatra had died, I played this track.....and yes, this 26 yr old man cried.
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