Nothing But The Best..............

Anyone that knows me at all, knows that I love Sinatra.

 The smoothness of his voice, the way he nails every note in every song, the way his voice lingers a beat after the music..... His style, his personality, his winning attitude, and his command of utter respect from his peers, and the fact that he was voted "Voice of the Millennium" are all things that fascinate me.

I'm happy to say that even after many years of being a massive fan, and extensively trawling the Internet, listening to his rare recordings, I still find new Sinatra songs all the time, due to the sheer volume of his material.

But for me this also causes a problem, namely; that the very best of Sinatra, still remains hidden to the average listener.....

So forget, My Way, Strangers in the Night, and the other frankly (if you'll pardon the pun) cheesy Sinatra standards that get any old karaoke drunk up and Crooning, and take a few minutes to listen to some of these beautifully sung, beautifully arranged Sinatra songs, which for some reason seem to be forgotten.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I Wish I Were In Love Again:

Arranged and conducted by the great Nelson Riddle, this song demonstrates all that is good about a Sinatra recording, starting low and slow, the song builds to an epic finale, both musically and vocally. Funnily enough the Sinatra standard "Lady is a Tramp" was supposed to be included on the same album as this (1957's "a swinging affair" but was dropped in favour of a song called "no one ever tells you"... also worth a look.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Song Is You:

This song stands out because it was arranged by Billy May. May has a lot to live up to as Nelson Riddle, Count Basie, and Quincy Jones are just a few of the awesomely talented musicians that got to work with Frank, yet for me, he stands slightly taller than the others. His characteristic use of brass is a brillant complement to Sinatra's pitch perfect voice.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ring a Ding Ding:

A favourite saying among the crooners of the Rat Pack on a night out. "there's a fine broad!" "Ring a ding ding!"...... This song was written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Huesen specifically for Frank. The title song of an album which was intended not to include any ballads, It acts as a prime example of Sinatra swinging at his best.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I Believe:

I cannot fathom how this song is not a massive Christmas standard. It deserves to be. It's just as good as when Sinatra belts out "let it snow" or "winter wonderland".... in fact it's better.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing But The Best:

As much an anthem about the man and his life as My Way, or That's Life, Nothing but the Best sums up everything that I love about Frank Sinatra.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So the next time you feel like playing a bit of Franky, look a bit further than just the same old "Fly my to the Moon" stuff...... there's a whole wealth of Sinatra out there that you're probably missing out on.

Much love ..............................