Customer Reviews

Perfectly Frank (Exp)

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Perfectly Frank: An American Classic Celebrates 80 is a wonderful tribute to Frank Sinatra by the great Tony Bennett. Tony sings his heart out on this album; and you can feel it on every track. The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is beautifully done. Now this is anything but elevator music!

"Time After Time" starts the CD; Tony Bennett sings this so very well and the piano arrangement is very elegant alongside that percussion! This classic love song shines like gold in Tony's capable hands; and that's terrific. "Nancy" is a stunning tune that never ceases to make me smile; there's something about this tune that draws me in because of the romantic lyrics and the way Tony sings these with such feeling. "I Thought About You" again uses the piano and percussion to carry the melody; and when Tony sings this he truly makes this song his own with his incredible style and class. "I've Got The World On A String," a wonderful Harold Arlen number, really showcases Tony's fine vocal talents--and that's great in my book! Tony handles subtle key and tempo changes effortlessly--although we know that it really wasn't so easy; Tony's talents carry him through every time!

"A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" has a very pretty melody and Tony delivers this very well; I just know Frank would have been very proud! Similarly, "The Lady Is A Tramp" gets a fine jazzy arrangement that glows brightly; Tony swings and sways to make this number very special. The musical interlude is very well done and it nicely complements Tony's singing. "Day In, Day Out" again puts Tony Bennett squarely in the spotlight--right where he belongs! There's an incredible drum solo and "Day In, Day Out" is a major highlight of this album. You're sure to like it. In addition, there's Tony doing a fine job on "Call Me Irresponsible;" he never misses a beat and this number gets a slower tempo than I'm used to hearing. However, it all works very well and "Call Me Irresponsible" is clearly a classic pop song.

"Last Night When We Were Young" is a number deleted from a MGM movie; Judy Garland sang it originally and she would love Tony's interpretation of this ballad! This song shouldn't have cut this from the film. "A Foggy Day" is a charming tune that I always love to hear; and when Tony Bennett sings this he makes it sound new and fresh. That's fantastic! "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" is another Harold Arlen tune; it gets a much jazzier rendition than I've ever heard but it grows on me as I listen to it each successive time. The album ends with "I'll Be Seeing You;" this touching, romantic and nostalgic number always tugs at my heartstrings and it makes the perfect ending for this album.

Tony Bennett has made a splendid tribute to the immortal Frank Sinatra; and this will be a charmer for fans of both Frank and Tony. If you like classic pop vocals then you should also consider this CD.

The names speak for themselves. If you are into beautiful music, music that may bring back memories for many, this is the CD for you. Tony Bennett is an icon from many years ago and there could be no better honor to Frank Sinatra. The music is wonderful and nostalgic. I love it....grab a glass of wine, a nice fire, a significant other and you are good to go!

Sinatra was, as Time Magazine described him, the "Entertainer of the Century." He was also an absolutely consummate musician and interpretive artist--whatever he lacked in "natural" talent he made up for with a work ethic, a discipline, a "will" that even many of his most devoted fans have trouble appreciating. He worked primarily with symphonic, epic-scale orchestras because, as a performer, he "played bigger" than they were. With the cooperation of Nelson Riddle, he put his stamp on the long-playing album, creating organically whole masterpieces. Some were deeply introspective and elegiac works, exploring the human psyche and uncovering personal tensions that mirrored those of the listener; others were examples of the most joyously swinging recordings ever made by a vocalist; and for 20 years he was capable of projecting semi-operatic numbers (ranging from the 2nd low E below middle C to an Ab above it) as a vocalist without limits (listen to his early "You Are But a Dream" or the much later "The Concert Sinatra." Every one of those Sinatra-Riddle albums is, in itself, a work of genius--indigenous popular culture raised to art of the highest, yet most personal, order.

In concert, every moment (at least during the half dozen occasions I was fortunate to be in attendance, 1966-1990) was an electrifying event in itself--the lone exception, perhaps, his live, Sunday night network concert in Madison Square Garden on the occasion, in the early '70s, of his coming out of "retirement." (Sinatra was not in characteristically good voice, though the follow-up recording of the boisterous, gala affair managed to make it sound better than it actually was.) Although I never hear him before the song in person, his reading of Harold Arlen's "Last Night When We Were Young" ("Close to You," Capitol) is the performance of a lifetime, a reading so emotional yet artful that no number can repeats can lessen the impact of Sinatra's power-packed reading, a heart-rending cry from the soul capable of shaking the listener for many months afterward. In listen to Bennett submit a "bouncy" treatment of the same tune (which Harold Arlen's son has announced as his favorite among all of his father's masterful songs) is to wonder if the later crooner actually listened to the Sinatra version.

As the foregoing might suggest, there's much for a Sinatra fan NOT to like about yet another "tribute" album to the formidable if not untouchable predecessor--from the liner notes (where Tony speaks of the aforementioned Madison Square concert as though it were an artistic triumph) to the repertory choices (not all are exactly Sinatra staples) to the musical accompaniment to the performances themselves. Of the many tribute albums to Billie Holiday, perhaps only one has produced a result that does justice by the actual music of Lady Day herself: Tony Bennett's "On Holiday." Likewise, the numerous Sinatra tributes have either come up way short musically or been merely exploitive of the Sinatra name for self-serving purposes. Bennett avoids both extremes, while reminding us how unproductive direct comparisons can be. Just step back and listen to a seasoned performer--the last of a breed--who has no hesitations about knocking off a program (on a single disc) of no fewer than 24 songs (!) from the Great American Songbook, evoking arguably its single most influential contributor (without denying the inestimable contributions of Louis and Bing) by simply trusting the integrity of the material.

There's a caveat, of course: Frank in addition would have insisted on nothing less than perfection--from orchestrations to thematic linkages to pacing to minute attention to every detail of every song. Undoubtedly, Tony has no intentions of impersonating Sinatra or exploiting the name for personal gain. "Perfectly Frank" no doubt means that he wants to express sincere appreciation to the foremost custodian of the Songbook that he so liberally borrows from on the recording, the fullness of the program in itself proof of the progenitor's importance.

Still, it's Bennett's far more relaxed approach to repertory and performance that is undeniably one of the key differences between him and a painstakingly driven perfectionist like Sinatra. Tony has always been quick to identify his "main" influences: Louis and Bing, with a special place reserved for Fred Astaire. His understandings and "musical feel" tend to go back further than Frank's, who represented the first breaking away from a well-established jazz tradition into a "new" world of 4/4 swing. Bennett's was a later, more "graceful," more fully assimilating introduction to the jazz world. As a result, he's willing to bet his talent on no more than the "artful" readings of great standards accompanied by the spare and tasteful textures of a relatively traditional piano trio. Sinatra, on the other hand, is the complete musical and dramatic "artist," first constructing a persona and then projecting it in a manner that all but compels us to believe that, with each song, we're seeing at once a reflection of our personal lives and a window into the private desires, dreams and fears of each of us.

There was only one "Perfectly Frank" and, come to think of it, singers like Tony Bennett have become equally rare. To be able to hear him sing these evergreens with such grace and ease is not only to be entertained but to be reminded of the uniqueness and lasting beauty of a unique, indigenous musical art form. The early composers--Kern, Gershwin, Arlen--are said to have admired Fred Astaire as much as any other singer. They trusted him to do justice by their creation of a new and often poorly understood "popular" art form. And it's largely the Astaire tradition, as much as Sinatra's, that Tony Bennett hearkens back to on this recording. It's an album without a single belabored note or moment--in fact, the approach virtually removes any barrier between the listener and the songs. And Tony sings them as though that's the point: perhaps we all should all abandon our flat screens and iPads for a night each week, gather around the piano, and celebrate music that has the power to affirm community and bring joy and healing to all.

So I ordered two more of this cd and presented them as gifts. Bennett does that to people. This collection of songs hits all the right vibes. Is it my favorite? Nah. But it's Bennett singing Sinatra and that ain't bad.

PS: I went for a bike ride in Central Park one Sunday afternoon about twenty years ago. A small street combo was playing on the West side of the park. They were good. I stopped to listen. So did the guy on the bike next to me.
It was Tony Bennett. Made my day.

Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra had a mutual admiration society. Frank said that Tony was the best singer,and Tony revered and still reveres Frank Sinatra. Truly those 2 were the best male vocalists of our time! Tony and his swinging band do a wonderful interpretation of many of Frank's greater and lesser known songs including my favorite- Nancy With a Smiling Face, and a few great tunes from the Classic in the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. All songs are done with Frank's influence, but with Tony's indistinguishable warm and breezy interpretations! This is a hard to find disc, better order it through Amazon, while you can still get it!

I LOVE Tony Bennett, but wasn't thrilled with this one. If you want to try one of his better releases try Playing With My Friends and the one with K.D. Lang both great. His older CDs are great, but of the latest, these two are far better.

Bought this cd as a gift for the grandparents. It was a big hit.