Customer Reviews

Duets

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Frank Sinatra "retired" for the second time after his 1984 album "L.A. is My Lady" and it was almost a decade before he returned to the studio for another comeback. From a commercial standpoint, this 1993 "Duets" album was a huge success, selling over 2 million copies and making it to #2 on the Billboard charts. From an artistic standpoint it is a mixed bag at best. The fact that Sinatra recorded his tracks first and then the other thirteen artists recorded their tracks at different time and in different places is rather bizarre since it violates some of the basic principles that made Sinatra one of the greatest recording artists of the 20th century (yes, the classic "Saturday Night Live" sketch where Sinatra is running his singing partners through the studio as quickly as possible was all made up). Sinatra was in his late 70s at this point, and while he still knew what to do with the phrasing of a line, his voice was not always up to the effort; when he sings the last song on the album, "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)," the greatest of the many saloon songs he sang in his career, the way in which time had ravaged his voice is very clear and painful to hear, at least for me. The performance is but a shadow of the man and his music.

The other thing that is painful about this album is the thought of what would have happened if this had been done the right way twenty or even ten years earlier. The thought of Sinatra and Tony Bennett in the studio singing "New York, New York" together at the same time is just a choice example of "what might have been." Imagine Barbra Streisand and Bono taking their songs seriously instead of camping them up. Imagine Sinatra singing with Aretha Franklin when they both were fully capable of bringing their A games. For that matter, imagine what if the orchestrations had been toned down so they were not trying to cover up the limitations of the mixed vocals. Instead we have these dozen duets (Kenny G does "All the Way" on the final track before Sinatra shows up and sings "One for My Babe"), and it is just a question of what appeals to you. I actually like Bennett on "New York, New York," and the songs with Gloria Estefan ("Come Rain or Come Shine"), Natalie Cole ("They Can't Take That Away From Me"), and Carly Simon (the medley "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry"/"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning") are enjoyable tracks. But I cannot take the Bono track ("I've Got You Under My Skin") seriously, and Julio Iglesias seems strangely muted to me on his ("Summer Wind"). But on balance it is hard not to be sad by this collection of duets, not only by the way they were put together but by the thought of what this album done in the right way at the right time would have been.

Really, the condition of Frank's voice, and the fact that he pre-recorded his parts doesn't bother me. Of course, it would have been ideal if Frank had made his duets album ten years earlier.

This album had its flaws, but it didn't deserve the critical slam that it received at the time--and it didn't stop millions of people from loving it. It IS good, just not great. Duets II is actually better. The song choices are better, and Frank's voice was in better shape on those songs. I recomend both Duets 1 & 2.

I hope someday that they release Frank's recordings of these songs before the duet partners were added, I'd like to hear the original cuts.

As a Sinatra fan, I can tell you that this does not represent his best output. I hate to be cynical but part of me wonders if this album was prompted by a desire to squeeze just a bit more cash out of some tired old numbers. There was no point getting Sinatra to re-record a selection of favourites - he was too old and his voice had all but gone (let's face it). So why not get him to croak a few lines and then fill in the gaps with some lesser stars and then market it as a duets album?

The instrumental arrangements and the band itself are great. But the singing is at best uninteresting and at worst laughable. The duet with Bono is a complete joke, the one with Barbara Streisand tedious and uninspiring. In fact, just about the only one that is at all enjoyable is the duet of Summer Wind with Julio Iglesias. No, this is not a good album and the third-rate quality of it is highlighted by the rumour that Sinatra pre-recorded his bits and the others filled in the gaps later. I find that very easy to believe.

There are so many good Sinatra albums and collections around, so why would you bother with this offering? Go listen to him in his prime.

This was my introduction to Frank Sinatra music and what an introduction it is! Although Frank was 80 years old when he recorded this album, it is a delight! His voice is not as smooth as it was in his glorious prime, but the voice is still "Frank's", and combining it with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Julio Iglesias, and Barbra Streisand is like putting cream in your favorite coffee. I have all the Duets albums and this is my favorite (with Duets II being a close second).

The album begins with the high energy duet of Sinatra and Luther Vandross in "The Lady Is A Tramp", and it does not quit there. There are 13 duets on this album and each is a unique gem. The duet with Barbra Steisand, "I've Got A Crush On You", will absolutely charm you. "New York, New York", with Tony Bennett, is wonderful, and the haunting, "All the Way/One For My Baby", will give you goose bumps.

This is a "MUST" album for all Sinatra fans, or fans that just enjoy good music. I actually prefer the Duets album to Frank's earlier solo works. You can't go wrong buying this album - I guarantee you will love it. I have listened to it over and over and it is one of those albums that one never tires of.

Jim Konedog Koenig

By 1993, Frank Sinatra was 77 years old. His voice was in tatters, his memory was failing regularly, and his health was deteriorating. And yet, he was still performing and seeling out houses around the world, playing to audiences young and old.

It was this appeal that led Sinatra to return to the studio at the request of his family and friends, and team up with the hottest artists of that era for an album of newly recorded duets of Sinatra classics. The result was simply titled "Duets".

"Duets" has polarized Sinatra fans since its release. Many fans love it and think of it as a great souvenier for Sinatra's later years. Others despsie it and see it as a joke to milk Sinatra's legacy. I am in the middle. I think "Duets" is flawed, but it's a very solid and enjoyable album.

The artists chosen here are indeed an eclectic bunch, ranging from R & B belters (Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross) to modern day pop divas (Gloria Estefan, Natalie Cole, Carly Simon, Anita Baker), to a modern day rock icon (Bono), to a schlock king saxophonist (Kenny G), to two foreign crooners (Julio Iglesias, Charles Aznavour), an artsit I've never heard of and a select few who were in the same mold as Frank (Streisand, Tony Bennett, Liza Minelli).

With this group of artists, you are bound to get varied results when it comes to the songs. The fact of the matter is, some songs work and some don't.

The ones that work really well, and are fortunately the better part of the record. Streisand's performane with Frank on "I've Got A Crush On You" is irresistibly sweet and playful. Bennett on "New York, New York" is a dream come true, with the tow greatest singers in their field finally getting together on record. Minnelli was born to sing with Frank just like her mother, and the two swing out on "I've Got The World On A String". Anita Baker scores well on "Witchcraft", throwing in some nice scatting, and Carly Simon provides a good counter-vocal to Frank on an aching medley of "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry" and "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning". And while it looked like a bad idea on paper, Bono really blends in well on "I've Got You Under My Skin". Bono clealry respects Frank and does not try and upstage him and the two redefine cool with this track.

The bad is not terrible, but is lacking. Gloria Estefan comes across as too over the top on "Come Rain Or Come Shine", and Natalie Cole, who had attempted the same feat three years earlier with her dad on "Unforgettable", is surprsingly weak on "They Can't Take That Away From Me". Luther Vandross is one of my favorite R & B singers, but he fails to ignite sparks on "The Lady Is A Tramp". The duets with Iglesias ("Summer Wind") and Aznavour ("You Make Me Feel So Young"). The biggest disappointment perhaps is Aretha Franklin, who should've been a high point of the record, but she seems disconnected on "What Now My Love".

This leaves us with the last song on the album, which is by definition not a duet, and ironically manages to be the undisputed high point of the album. Kenny G. plays an instrumental version of "All The Way" (I was really hoping the older Frank would try his hand at this, but its' not to be). After tow minutes of Kenny's sax, the song quietly fades into "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)". And the result is amazing. Frank gives the song all he's got, and the wear and tear of his voice gives the song a more poignant and heartbreaking feel to it. It's an incredible recording. I almost cried listening to it.

Overall, "Duets" isn't a masterpiece, but a solid effort from Frank in his final years. It is certainly worth having, even if not's quite a must have.

I love Frank Sinatra, which is the reason I do not like this disc. None of the duets were recorded with both parties in the room together, and you can here it. It's electronic gimmickry. The duets are done with people who do not sing in the Pop style that Sinatra sings in; therefore, the songs are uneven and sound bad. Sinatra is also not in good form. He is 77 and I don't think he should have recorded this. I prefer to remember him in the 1950's, when I think he was at his best. I would not buy this, unless you want to hear his next to last recording. Duets II is the last one. I woulnd't buy that one either.

DUETS is by no means a great Sinatra album. In fact, many people are not even sure that it is a Sinatra album. But the Chairman can be heard here. His voice is not even whatn it was ten years before but his personality, authority, and brilliance shines through. While the album is artificial and just too slick sounding, it is an important album to own for hard core FAS fans. There are exciting and tender moments. The last two tracks are wonderfull. I think the album has to be understood in a certain context. It was made to make money (like most albums) but also to introduce new fans to these great songs and to the greatest singer of all time. It does that quite well.