Songs of Sinatra

Steve Tyrell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 8, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hollywood Records
• ASIN: B000BBOVDA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,916 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #100 in Music > Jazz > Traditional Jazz & Ragtime > General AAS
  • #100 in Music > Jazz > Traditional Jazz & Ragtime > Traditional Jazz General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

As its title indicate, this CD sees popular vocalist Steve Tyrell pay tribute to the Sinatra songbook, and pretty much every track is a famous nugget closely identified with the Chairman of the Board. That Tyrell is no Sinatra is a given, but the combination of his slightly hammy delivery and old-school arrangements makes this perfect bourbon and leather-armchair music--familiar and comfortable. Three of the songs ("Fly Me to the Moon," "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else" and "Something Stupid") reproduce the original orchestrations--and really, how can you go wrong with those?--while the others boast cushy new ones by Bob Mann, Alan Broadbent or Count Basie arranger Sammy Nestico. In his press notes, Tyrell remarks that "Nice and Easy" features "the most modern of all the arrangements on the album," but fear not: It sounds exactly like the others, and modernity here only means extra-velvety strings and super-relaxed horns. Echoing the pairing of Frank and Nancy Sinatra on the original, Tyrell sings "Something Stupid" with his daughter Lauryn, though she seems to be pushed behind in the mix and is barely audible. But hey, Frank didn't like sharing the spotlight either! --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strikingly Awesome!, November 9, 2005

By 

Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Songs of Sinatra (Audio CD)

"The Songs of Sinatra are like members of my family. Growing up in our Italian family, my Mom and Dad idolized and constantly played the recordings of Frank Sinatra. Since I was a little boy, they have played an important role in my life and always fill my heart with warmth and affection." ~ Steve Tyrell ~

I could relate to Steve Tyrell and like him, I grew up hearing Frank Sinatra's music from my late father's collection and learned to appreciate his music at an early age. This is one of the best Frank Sinatra tributes ever recorded. I'm so ecstatic about the sweet renaissance of standards that has been taking place in the music scene now. It's so nice to hear fresh interpretations of these evergreens with new flair, style and arrangements. My appreciation to Steve Tyrell for being one of the key figures in bringing back these standards made popular by the legendary Entertainer of the Century, Frank Sinatra. What a way to pay tribute to the most-loved singer of all-time.

I was with a group of friends at a dinner/concert of Steve Tyrell at the Catalina Jazz Club two weekends ago and totally enjoyed his performances. One of my friends who hadn't heard of Steve Tyrell became an 'instant fan' saying - "I fell in love with his voice and his style of singing" and she thanked me for introducing Mr. Tyrell's music to her. After the awesome concert, we all were happy-campers knowing that we had "samples" of some of the songs included in 'yet-to-be-released' album at that time. He performed to perfection with a terrific back-up band the very best of Sinatra songs such as Alan and Marilyn Bergman's "Nice 'N' Easy," Cole Porter's "I Concentrate On You," "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "I Get A Kick Out Of You," Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered" and Bob Hilliard and David Mann's "In The Wee Small Hours." In between his performances, he shared some interesting anecdotes about him and his music. He also acknowledged the presence of Tina Sinatra and thanked her for being one of the people responsible for making this superb recording possible.

This album delights us with fourteen of my all-time favorite Sinatra staples. My personal favorites include "Fly Me To The Moon," featuring the fantastic trumpet of Clark Terry and arranged by Quincy Jones based on Sinatra's original recording. The second track "I Concentrate On You," featuring Hillary Kole on background vocals has the loveliest Bossa Nova arrangement by Bob Mann and the string section was arranged and conducted by Alan Broadbent. His performances on "All The Way," "Night And Day" and "All Of Me" are simply breathtaking.

The fabulous duets with Frank Sinatra, Jr. "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else," and with his daughter, Lauryn Tyrell "Something Stupid" are two of the highlights of this recording.

I would single out "You Go To My Head" as my absolute favorite from this collection. With his gentle and retire-the-trophy treatment of this gem by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie and featuring Roy Hargrove on flugelhorn, this track could easily be my all-time favorite version.

"You go to my head
And you linger like a haunting refrain
And I find you spinning 'round in my brain
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne. . .

. . . You go to my head
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Like a summer with a thousand Julys
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes."

Listening to all these beautiful standards with stunning interpretations and arrangements has left me wishing that he would record some more of my all-time favorite Sinatra songs such as Glenn Miller/Mitchell Parish classic "Moonlight Serenade," Bud Green/Michael Edwards "Once In A While," Johnny Mandel/Paul Webster "The Shadow Of Your Smile" and Mack Gordon/Edmund Goulding "Mam'selle," to suggest a few. "Songs of Sinatra, Volume II" coming up?

I highly recommend this strikingly awesome CD for your listening pleasure always and forever!

* * * * *TEN STARS* * * * *

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars not quite Sinatra--but this is still all right by me !!!, June 19, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Songs of Sinatra (Audio CD)

Songs Of Sinatra is yet another wonderful album by Steve Tyrell; and he proves his mettle well on every track here. Steve's ability to take a song and deliver it so sensitively really impresses me and this is true blue exquisite music. The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is very nicely done. These are songs, of course, that Sinatra used to love to sing; and the CD is indeed a touching tribute to The Chairman Of The Board.

"I Get A Kick Out Of You" is a Cole Porter tune that Steve Tyrell sings to perfection--and how's about that piano arrangement? Steve sings a rarely heard opening verse and when he goes into the main lyrics of the song this takes off like a jet! Steve's excellent diction really helps him perform so very well; and the music fits in perfectly with his vocals. "Fly Me To The Moon" gets the royal treatment from Tyrell and the musicians as they work together to make "Fly Me To The Moon" a major highlight of this album. Steve swings brightly to make this number work and you can tell with just one listen! It's a very pretty melody and it's upbeat as well--wonderful! "Witchcraft" is another Sinatra staple that Steve sings so very well; "Witchcraft" sounds like silk when Steve Tyrell sings it. Now Sinatra surely would have been proud of THIS!

"In The Wee Small Hours" is a song Sinatra often sang, reportedly after his upsetting breakup with Ava Gardner. Steve does great justice to this classic torch song by giving it every bit as good a performance as Sinatra ever could have. The strings are very beautiful and this enhances the number even more. "(I've Got You) Under My Skin" is another classic ballad and the musical arrangement is a bit more contemporary without sacrificing any of the natural beauty of the original arrangement; and Steve's voice, ever so slightly gravelly, sounds better than ever on "(I've Got You) Under My Skin." "Night And Day" is a charming love song and Steve sing this flawlessly--I love that brass in the music, too.

"Nice 'N' Easy" sounds like pure silk and Steve bats this straight out of the ballpark! Steve never misses a beat, nor does he sing a superfluous note either. "All Of Me" is a stunning song about the joys of falling in love, celebrating that love, and dealing with a "goodbye," too; and the album ends strong with Steve Tyrell performing "You Go To My Head." "You Go To My Head" gets a slower tempo than I'm used to hearing; but it grew on me quickly and that's wonderful.

Songs Of Sinatra is Steve Tyrell's way of paying tribute to Frank Sinatra; and it's obvious to me that Steve succeeded. I recommend this for Steve's fans, Sinatra's fans, and people who like classic pop vocals.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "has the stuff stars are made of...crowd pleaser ~ Steve Tyrell", November 10, 2005

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Songs of Sinatra (Audio CD)

Pop vocalist of the millennium is Steve Tyrell, the crooner with sensitivity in his delivery and his latest Hollywood Records release "Songs of Sinatra" [enhanced], arriving near the eve of our Holiday Season with some vintage Irving Berlin, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Cy Coleman, Gus Kahn, Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart standards...featuring an unforgettable signature style that takes you back to the '40s, '50s and '60s...listening to every tune on this album brings back memories of Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin and of course Chairman of the Board Mr.Frank Sinatra as they were crooning favorite standards of the day...Tyrell has the style and ability of Frank Sinatra...the uncanny ability to nail each track with his relaxing style and making it his own.

Sit back and let's take a listen to the selections on this guaranteed winner..."I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU" and "I CONCENTRATE ON YOU" (featuring Hillary Kole), wonderful arrangement by Bob Mann and Alan Broadbent, as Steve sings mixed with orchestrated strings ..."FLY ME TO THE MOON", great arrangement by Quincy Jones on this classic tune, swingin' big band is here and alive..."WITCHCRAFT", very big song for Frank, but Steve's interpretation is right on....."IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS", this arrangements hits home with Alan Broadbent's touching arrangement..."THE ONE I LOVE BELONGS TO SOMEBODY ELSE", featuring a dynamic duet between Steven and Frank Jr., I predict this will be the most requested song from this album on the airwaves..."I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN", classic Cole Porter with a jazzy arrangement by Bob Mann and Alan Broadbent, more than a toe-tapper, as Steve pours out his heart with a vengence..."BEWITCHED BOTHERED AND BEWILDERED", wonderful verse to this standard and Steve hits the mark with a perfect bullseye and you're loving every minute of it..."NIGHT AND DAY", with a foxtrot tempo this Fred Astaire original has a classic arrangement, take note Steve is having a ball..."ALL THE WAY", dim the lights and pour your favorite beverage, with your favorite partner this is a lush arrangement by once again Mann and Broadbent, the lyrics tell the whole story..."NICE 'N' EASY", the classic title album hit from yesteryear with a soft swingin' performance provides Steve to make his entrance and groove on the Bergman tune..."SOMETHNG STUPID", the great Ernie Freeman arrangement featuring Lauryn Tyrell is a rare track between father and daughter, takes you back to the original by Nancy and Frank Sr..."ALL OF ME", look out Ole Blues Eyes, cause Steve's on the loose with the one and only arrangement orchestrated by Sammy Nestico not bad company for Tyrell to be in..."YOU GO TO MY HEAD", featuring Roy Hargrove brings a tear to your eye as Steve pours his heart out along with heartfelt lyrics, just listen quietly and see if you don't agree.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to see Steve in a St. Louis concert, met him back stage...might add this gentleman made a very positive impression on all who attended that night's show...he's a first class guy and has everything going for him...couldn't happen to a nicer person...it's like second nature with his natural ability to vocalize and be a crowd pleaser is pure magic...shows why Tyrell has the the stuff stars are made of...he's the hottest property in the genre of "The American Standard"..climb aboard and enjoy the brillance of each tune he puts his stamp on, you'll never regret it...Good Luck, Steve!

Total Time: 49:00 on 14 Tracks ~ Hollywood Records 162550 ~ (11/08/2005)