Customer Reviews

That Face

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In an era where aging rockers such as Rod Stewart and Michael Bolton, with limited vocal abilities, are carving out new careers
dipping into the American Songbook (Stewart sounds a lot like Moms Mabley, and the less said about Bolton, the better) here comes the son of our greatest pop singer with a CD of 13 songs that would make Dad proud...

Though at 62, Frank Junior's vibrato has started to widen, he displays great phrasing and feeling and a sense of rhythmic pulse that's truly impressive.

The songs, for the most part are swingers, with great arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Torrie Zito et al, three of the charts (That Face, Masquerade Is Over, Cry Me A River) were originally written for Frank Senior's aborted "Digital Sinatra" project in 1988...The studio orchestra backing Frankie this time around is so good, it's almost scary!

Standout cuts: That Face, Softly As In A Morning Sunrise, Masquerade Is Over and a stunningly beautful reading of The People You Never Get To Love--also included, a duet with Steve Tyrell on Neal Hefti's "Girl Talk" with an updated lyric that won't make Gloria Steinhem shreik in terror.

As he's gotten older, Frankie seems to rely less on leaning on his Dad's well known mannerisms, and has evolved into an original.....in any case, hundreds of others singers have carved out successful careers trying to sound like the Chariman, so why not Number One Son?

Frank Junior has never had an abundance of commerical appeal, so sales of "That Face" may not approach those of lesser talents.

It's a shame....this package leaves the Stewarts and the Boltons of the world in the dust!

For many years, Frank Sinatra Jr., by the very nature of his name, has been overshadowed by the immense presence of his father, who is regarded by many as the greatest singer of the 20th Century. Early recording efforts were met with moderate success, and for a number of years, the younger Sinatra put aside the microphone and picked up the baton, as he lead the band for his old man's twilight years. His last CD, As I Remember It, paid tribute to Dad, in spoken word and song. It was wonderful, and quite well received by critics and Sinatra fans worldwide.

In the ten years since As I Remember It, Frank Sinatra has left us, and his passing has brought on a number of young claimers to the throne: Michael Buble, Peter Cincotti, Matt Dusk, and Steve Tyrell, to name a few. There have also been attempts by established stars, to enter into the realm of The Great American Songbook: Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, and most recently, Michael Bolton come to mind. And now, Frank Jr. has stepped into the fray with That Face, a marvelous collection of songs that could immediately catapult him to the top of the list. With arrangements by such stalwarts as Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Don Costa, and Sam Donahue, as well as Bill Rogers, to whom the CD is dedicated, Sinatra swings and croons his way through the well known, and the not-so, with songs like The Masquerade is Over, Cry Me A River, Girl Talk (with Tyrell), The People That You Never Get To Love, and I Was a Fool (To Let You Go). He even reprises one of his most popular recordings, Spice, with great exuberance and in fine voice. In fact, Sinatra is in very fine voice throughout this entire CD.

Produced by Charles Pignone, and Terry Woodson, and recorded in the famed Capitol Records studios that bore witness to so many of his father's wonderful sessions (Oh, if walls could talk!), That Face allows Frank Sinatra Jr. to step out of the shadows of his father, and stand alone as a terrific singer of song. The comparisons are bound to be made, but believe me, this gentleman is his own person, with impeccable style and talent. Now, all he has to do is compete with the other singers of today who tackle this genre. What Sinatra has going for him, though, is the knowledge that the throne is not up for grabs, and probably never will be. That allows him to just be the best that he can be, and his best has given us That Face, which is the best newly recorded collection of standards, old and new, available today. Don't be surprised to see another Grammy on the Sinatra mantelpiece, only this one will have a "Jr." engraved on it.

And it's about time.

I have to admit that this is my very first album of Frank Sinatra, Jr., whom I've watched in a live performance at the Hollywood Bowl a year ago on a tribute honoring his famous Dad and I absolutely enjoyed listening to its impressive repertoire of timeless standards from the Great American Songbooks. Not to mention his awesome interpretations and its gorgeous arrangements. I'm so glad that he is continuing his father's legacy in spreading good music for our listening pleasure always and forever.

This album is one of the best of its kind. It consists of thirteen great songs, one of which is his very own composition, "Spice" and arrangement by one of the greatest arrangers/conductors of all-time and Frank Sinatra's favorite, Nelson Riddle.

My personal favorites include the following:

"What A Difference A Day Made" - its lovely samba-ish arrangement by a fine arranger, Torrie Zito, is a delight to listen to. Torrie Zito also worked with Frank Sinatra on some of his finest recordings. It's Bossa Nova-flavored rhythm is so pleasing to the ears.

"You'll Never Know" - a gem of a song by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon, outstanding arrangement by Don Costa and features the beautiful trumpet solo by Warren Luening. It has that delicate nostalgic sound to it.

"You'll never know just how much I miss you
You'll never know just how much I care
And if I try I still couldn't hide my love for you
You ought to know for haven't I told you so
A million or more times

You went away and my heart went with you
I speak your name in my every prayer
If there is some other way to prove that I love you
I swear I don't know how
You'll never know if you don't know now."

"Girl Talk" - composed by Neal Hefti and words by Bobby Troup. The charming arrangement was done by Jeff Morrison who also played the solo piano, and flugelhorn solo by Warren Luening. This is one of the best tracks and I just love this duet with one of the greatest interpreters of standards, Steve Tyrell, whom I've also watched live on three concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, Starlight Bowl and Catalina Jazz Club. I had the privilege of meeting and speaking with him face-to-face. I wish these two great singers would collaborate on a duet CD. That would be great! Their first duet "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else" from Steve Tyrell's "Songs of Sinatra" is simply fantastic.

(Girls - listen closely to "their own revised lyrics" and judge for yourselves, LOL!). Here's the intro.

Steve: Hey, Francis!
Frank, Jr.: Steve?
Steve: You're having a drink. Can I join you, man?
Frank, Jr.: Sure, what do you think we ought to drink to?
Steve: Let's drink to the girls, brother!
Frank, Jr.: Yeah ... and one of their favorite pastimes.
Steve: Yeah.

"They like to chat about the dresses they will wear tonight
They chew the fat about their tresses or the neighbor's fight
Inconsequential things that men would never care to know
Become essential things that women find so apropos. . ."

"Cry Me A River" - His rendition is so splendid. This track was superbly arranged and conducted by Billy May and features Plas Johnson on tenor sax and Carl Fontane on trombone solo.

"The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye" - this achingly beautiful song was penned by husband-and-wife songwriting team of Alan & Marilyn Bergman and its tasteful melody was composed by Dave Grusin. It's one of my absolute favorite songs by this trio of the most creative composers and lyricists of all-time. It's pretty arrangement was done by Bill Rogers and that well-played trombone solo by Bill Waltrous.

This is my first Frank Sinatra, Jr. CD and certainly will not be the last. I wholeheartedly recommend it for your listening pleasure.

This is a fantastic record. I could not believe, how beautiful these people can swing, although i knew it of course.Irv Cottler.. the giant of swinging this kind of music or Carl Fontana... another giant... wow!!! Are there more recordings of this session hidden somewhere ???Please Mr. Sinatra: put them on CD... all of them. I WILL BUY THEM !!Listening to this cd it seems to me that never this music will be played on this level vever again. I hope i am wrong

This is a marvelous CD. It is a throwback to a time when music was created by those who were craftsman at their work--a time when an honest effort was made to create something special. Each song on this CD is in and of itself a worthy performance. To give a comparison to a current singer--I think the best out there is probably Michael Buble--I enjoy Michael Buble's music --he sings the standards, has a very pleasant voice and sincere effort is made in his musical arraignments. BUT this CD towers above Buble's work. It is simply that this CD has it all--excellent arrangements, superior musicians, exemplary production techniques, and of course there are Sinatra's marvelous interpretations. The more you listen to it the more you will enjoy it. The CD will stand the test the time -- like his father's work, or Jerry Vale's or Tony Bennett's--it is an excellent musical accomplishment and is head and shoulders above what is being currently created in this genre.

"That Face" is great! Frank, Jr.'s phrasing, intonation, interpretation and selection of sings is just superb. I only wish there were more albums available. I would buy them all! In today's world of few really good singers, Frank, Jr. is one of the best. He should be making more records. He's a musician as well as a wonderful vocalist.

As a big Sinatra Senior fan, I really did not know what to expect when I first listened to this CD...While his voice has similar characteristics and style to his father, it is definitely his HIS own CD and style. I love the selection and arrangement of the tracks...It is a nice combination of ballads and swinging songs.. I recently saw Mr Sinatra Jr. in concert...He was fabulous and so was the 36 piece orchestra...He mostly did his father's songs, but did do one of my favorites from the CD "That Face"...I would have liked to hear more of his songs, but there are those who will just want the "Chairman's songs" sung by his son....I like Frankie and this CD proves he has some great vocals and hopefully future CDs to look forward to...It is currently a favorite in my car CD player....Amy

- The Best Album of Frank Sinatra Jr.
- Creative and Innovative Arrangement especially on Track 1 - 'That Face'
- Included Sophisticated Well-made duet song 'Girl Talk' (Track 6)
- And also Included 1970s Jr.'s Own Hit Number 'Spice' revived. (Track 5)
- This album shows Frank Sinatra Jr.'s Unique Sound and Style very well.
- That's why it's far different than the former album [As I remember It].


Kim W.S. from Sinatra Society of South Korea

As is well documented, Junior's voice and phrasing resemble his more prolific father's. This leads many to bash him, but he's not the only one making a living doing these tunes and singing in tribute to Senior. Frank Jr. does it better than most and you can tell he has a true passion for the material. He assembles a top notch group of musicians and he isn't afraid to let them steal the show at times. As for Junior's voice- other reviewers have pointed out numerous flaws and quibbles. While I feel sure that these complaints are technically correct, I don't feel that there are any flaws that compromise the listening pleasure of the average listener with a taste for standards and pop music. On the contrary, I find his voice to be very pleasant, with good pitch and phrasing. I've seen him live and I have to say that this album is a good showcase of Frank Junior. He's a professional and has toiled much of his life (mostly out of public view, or behind his dad) learning the ropes. Don't hold anything against Sinatra Junior you wouldn't hold against Buble or Connick. And Frank Jr., if you're reading this- please get to work on another album. Nobody's doing stuff this good anymore. Thank you for reading my review.

frank sinatra jr. creates a wonderul mood with this new album-
frank sinatra jr. is a quiet yet mighty force in the genre known as jazz/pop singing.
often mistakenly called "easy listening" - it is a lost and dying art - he is a genuine
and legitimate figure. i have always found his work sincere and smart - and now
his work has grown a deeper, darker jazz element. his vibrato has a jazz singers dark
sadness and his phrasing lets the listener in on a smart secret that sinatra
freely offers - less is more.
a rare quality that young performers who are trying to sing this music
should pay close attention to.
it's not just what he does, it's what he chooses not to do.
his philosophy of song is more a musicians than a performing singer's - yet
he is a generous, classy performer.
my two favorite cuts -
spice - listen to how sinatra bounes and romps thru this very familiar nelson riddle arrangement
that he has been using for 30 years - it's a silly song he penned probably in his 20's
and he puts it over with a swingy jazzy (less is more) treatment - never going too far.
who else can sing this way now and sound sincere?
in the hands of someone who does'nt understand the genre, it would be corny
and antiquated.
cry me a river - billy may sets the stage with gorgreous film noir opening - reminds
me of elmer bernsteins score of the film "sweet smell of success" - sinatra leads us into a dark night of the soul performance.
i recommend this cd and hope it is the beginning of a fruitful recording period for mr. sinatra.

bill veloric - nyc