Come Swing With Me – FRANK SINATRA****

Day By Day/Sentimental Journey/Almost Like Being In Love/Five Minutes More/American Beauty Rose/Yes Indeed/On The Sunny Side Of The Street/Don’t Take Your Love For Me/That Old Black Magic/Lover/Paper Doll/I’ve Heard That Song Before

Come Swing With Me features songs from one of Frank Sinatra’s final recording sessions with Capitol before he started up his own record label Reprise. (US:8 UK:13)

“By 1961, Sinatra had launched his Reprise label and was completing his contractual obligation to Capitol. This album was part of the transition, so it most likely did not receive the attention lavished on the earlier Capitol concept albums. In this case, the fast arrangements and Sinatra-in-his-prime vocals work very well, turning a set of great older songs into a tour de force. In particular That Old Black Magic and Lover suggest that even in his last days at Capitol Sinatra was reaching for first-rate songs."

“It may not rise to the level of Come Dance With Me, but this album is a blast. Crazy experimental wide stereo separation, great tunes and Frank on the point as usual. Near the end of this Capitol winning streak, Sinatra really delivers especially on the slower Sentimental Journey, which for my money, is the definitive version. That's the great thing about Frank. He could take a song recorded by everyone else and just make it his own.”

“Though not one of Sinatra's best Capitol era efforts, it's still pretty good. Fine versions of On The Sunny Side Of The Street, Don't Take Your Love From Me and That Old Black Magic make it well worth your hard earned cash. Most interesting, however, are Billy May's dynamic arrangements, which take maximum advantage of the stereo spectrum. While some listeners may find the relentless ping-ponging a distraction, fans of 'space-age bachelor pad' artists will find much to enjoy herein.”

“Good performances of (mostly) fine songs, but even the best - That Old Black Magic - are not among the most memorable Sinatra performances. May's arrangements have exuberance rather than subtlety, noise rather than emotion - they are fine but don't stick in the memory. Sinatra, of course, always dominates: the band is like a movie score, however noisy it gets it stays in the background of the listener's attention, just heightening our response to the main action, which here is Sinatra's voice. An enjoyable album but not one that calls you back to listen to time after time.”