Duets II

Frank Sinatra

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 15, 1994)
• Original Release Date: November 15, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002TO1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,589 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Encouraged by the massive sales of 1993's Duets, Capitol went back to the well a year later for a sequel. The pairings are a little more inspired this time around, with Willie Nelson ("A Foggy Day"), Lena Horne ("Embraceable You"), Chrissie Hynde ("Luck Be a Lady") and Antonio Carlos Jobim ("Fly Me to the Moon") all turning in satisfying performances. Unfortunately, there's also a heaping helping of forgettable cuts (including duets with Luis Miguel, Jimmy Buffett, Jon Secada, and Lorrie Morgan), and Phil Ramone's arrangements continue to grate. And the overwrought duet with Neil Diamond on "The House Live In (That's America to Me)" has to be heard to be believed. Hardly a necessary addition to your Sinatra collection. --Dan Epstein

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Duets II is another Hit for Sinatra and Company, May 10, 2003

By	James Koenig "konedog" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Following on the heals of the wildly successful "Duets" album, Duets II is a continuation of the theme of combining Frank Sinatra with other "name" singers. If you liked Duets I, you will also like Duets II, as it is equally as entertaining as the first.

Some highlights include "The House I Live In" with Neil Diamond, "Luck Be A Lady", with Chrissie Hynde (her low sexy voice grows on you), "Fly Me To The Moon", with Antonio Carlos Jobim, and "The Best Is Yet To Come" with Jon Secada. This is by no means all there is; every track is uniquely pleasing. What I especially enjoy about this album is the finger snapping swagger that many of the songs impart - true Sinatra style.

Although my fellow reviewers do not rate this album as high as Duets I, I have to disagree - I think the two are on equal standing - both are delights to the ears. Duets II is one of my favorite albums and I think you will agree.

Jim Konedog Koenig

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Its the SINGER--Regardless, this is FRANK SINATRA, March 7, 2000

By	"dproct01" (Medford, MA United States) - See all my reviews

As with virtually anything Frank Sinatra tried after his triumphs in the 1950s and early 1960s, the knives came out to attack Duets II and Mr. Sinatra.

No this is not the Sinatra that sang with Tommy Dorsey, or Capitol records in the 1950s or Reprise. Why is that such a crime? Does anyone actually listen to the Sinatra music of the 70s, 80s or 90s, and not just with their ears but with their emotions and hearts. How anyone can say that the Lena Horne-Sinatra duet on Embraceable You is anything but beautiful is beyond me. He sings with such raw emotion, such real feeling, that is what music is about. That aside however, his breath control and phrasing are not what they were FORTY YEARS AGO, but its ridiculous to expect it to be. Further, does it remotely occur to anyone that both Duets albums contain (with a few exceptions) manifestly revised arrangements of these standards. These were not the same arrangements Sinatra had been singing on the road for the past few years. Yet, he adapts. Yes his voice is weak in a several spots, but usually to great emotional effect.

There is a haunting beauty to Embraceable You, to the Lori Morgan duet and to most of the others slower pieces. The uptempo numbers find Sinatra swinging as sharp as ever, but with the occassional growl which only adds to the emotion being created.

I have heard an unending chain of great jazz, blues and rock singers who hobble out on stage, sing a song with no passion, no emotion, totally univested in the lyrics, and in relatively lousy voice (Bob Dylan--who can even understand the man) only to have the critics tell us what a riveting performance. Sinatra however, is given no such reprive. Anything that isnt the 50s Capitol era is riddled with flaws.

Well, I for one have had enough of it. TRUE SINATRA FANS can appreicate the man and the singer in all phases of his career because each phase represented something truly special and unique. His later works require the listener to actually enter the music with Sinatra, but when you do, the rewards are astounding. What Sinatra may lack in vocal precision in the 1990s he makes up for in sheer emotional power.

I would be delighted if they would release a Duets III since there are supposedly unreleased takes from the Duets I and II sessions. I have even heard their is a Sinatra duet with Clint Black somewhere out there.

Lastly, though not on this album, his final released duet with Pavoratti on "MY WAY" has to be one of the most haunting pieces ever created. It has Sinatra singing MY WAY in the arrangement he was using in the last few years of his touring, an arrangment I don't believe is avialable anywhere else (which in and off itself makes this version worthwhile). His voice is tremulous at times and I suppose in reality we could do without Pavarotti, however, througout the entire song is the underlying text that says good bye. If you really listen to this MY WAY, you can't help but be overwhelmed.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Know the difference between good and bad, April 22, 2001

By	Darren Gauthier (Baton Rouge, LA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is a distinct difference in being a so-called "true fan" and being a lapdog fanatic that just "loves" everything an artist puts out. (Streisand fans are like this, even voting like their idol. For shame!)

That being said, I own the complete Columbia, Reprise and Capitol output of Frank Sinatra and I can say with utmost respect for the man and his recorded legacy that these albums should have never been released. The idea of recording Sinatra in his later years is a great idea. Slapping on mindless interpretations by Jon Secada and Chrissie Hynde (whom I also respect) among others is just ludicrous. Simply, these are not "Duets" in the purest sense. Duets are when two performers take the stage and interact with each other as they interpret a song. (Sinatra's TV duets with Ella Fitzgerald are prime examples of this kind of magic.) This album oughta be called "Dubs" -- Sinatra sang his version first and another singer came in and dubbed his/her/it's voice over that of the great Francis. Isn't that sad?! Isn't it insulting to us to think that Capitol believes that we don't know the difference? Isn't a pity that we can't enjoy the talents of Sinatra without some inferior singer coming along and destroying it? (Hearing Aretha on the first album going "WHAT NOW WHAT NOW WHAT NOW!" is like seeing a fish flopping on the beach wondering "wht am I not in the water? Why can't Frank and I sit down and work out a vocal arrangement and reinterpret this song?")

I'd rerelease these albums as "SINATRA SOLO - THE FINAL RECORDINGS". The arrangements are top notch, the sound quality as good as it gets. And even with years of wear and tear, Sinatra's voice is as dramatic an instruments as afforded any performer.

The Antonio Carlos Jobim cut and the Frank Jr. cut are the only good things on the record. Please, buy the best Sinatra stuff you can from Reprise and Capitol before you buy this. Get to know the real Sinatra, unedited and IN YOUR FACE!