Ears Like a Hawke
Let's Connect!! --->>>
  • Home
  • Song of the Day
  • Album Reviews
  • Artist Studies
    • Steely Dan
  • Industry Happenings
  • Friends of the Hawke

Frank Sinatra - Duets With The Dames

12/7/2011

5 Comments

 
Picture
uuLyrics.com
So this is one for a day with meaning.  Frank Sinatra is who made me want to sing because my grandfather told me I could.  See, he got a Karaoke program for his computer when I was about 8 years old, complete with a little cheap microphone.  It was all Frankie music, and I happened to walk in when he was about to try it out. We sang a few songs together, including one from this album, "Embraceable You," and he turned to me, saying "You have an absolutely beautiful voice! Never stop singing, my little Janella."

I miss my PopPop every single day. He still means the world to me, and every man I've ever met has had a very tough time even coming close to measuring up.  He persuaded my dreams and believed in every step I took, and I truly believe he still does from that big crazy Italiano dinner table in the sky.  An entrepreneur, husband, father, and incredibly loving grandfather, Chicky Loffredo was the best. Period. The world lost him after a tough battle with cancer 10 years ago today, and it's been a little darker ever since.  I miss and love you so much PopPop.

I thought I had heard every Frank Sinatra recording at this point, but Spotify had me stumble onto this little gem when I was picking out today's review album.  I figured given the nature and memories, a duet album seemed appropriate.

So let's look at the tracks!

We kick things off with a swing duet with Peggy Lee, "You Brought A New Kind of Love To Me."  This is truly a sweet, mood-setting song for a fun album.  

Toe's a tapping, we move into the next number, "Let's Take An Old-Fashioned Walk," a duet with Dororthy Kirsten, who has one of the sweetest full-bodied voices I think I've ever heard. You just don't hear voices like this anymore!  I also love the lasting concept of this song.  Who just goes for a nice walk these days?  Interesting to hear it treated the same way in those days as well - good to know this has always been "unheard of" but a real gem of a time.  In fact, I liked this one so much, I'd like to share it with you guys right here and now, on a little side celebration of another singer (who's going to make an appearance later on this very album!), Miss Doris Day:


Wasn't that sweet?
"Tea For Two" is a classic, but this version with Dinah Shore really slows things down to a much more romantic mood.  This has always struck me as a cutesy song, but this version really takes a different turn for me.  I could see this on a mix as a romantic gesture easily.

"This Can't Be Love" with Margaret Whiting peps things up a little bit, with the idea of not really being able to be in love, but knowing you are.  This song reminds me that things were usually recorded in front of live audiences, and the energy you can feel on this track proves it.  Songs also used to tell stories very well, as we see in our next track, "The Girl Next Door" with June Hutton.  I like it because of the relatability, even in a different time period.  A lasting concept for sure...

"Let's Get Away From It All" with Connie Haynes and Jo Stafford brings the tempo back up, with a witty instrumental intro to get the audience up and dancing.  The voices even feel a little more dulled to me, which makes them more background music to enjoy your dance to.  A very familiar WWII sound actually.  Not as much personal connection with the listeners on this one.

Then we get our girl Dorothy Kirsten back, and for a classic "Some Enchanted Evening."  Who can't help but fall in love with this song?  Love at first sight in a song. Excuse me while I swoon a bit.  Self-professed-hopeless-romantic here.  "Make her your own, or all your life you'll dream alone."

Judy Garland makes her first appearance on this album next in "Gotta Be This Or That."  This is another toe-tapper, very cute, and a good feel to it.  Not one of my favorites, but I feel that way when songs sound far too much alike to others.  There's humor in the last verse, and the audience shines in their laughter, which makes up for the boredom I'm kind of settling into on this one. :| So sorry Judy & Frank! (Side note - I laughed out loud as I typed this - my old babysitter's name was Judy, and her husband was Frank.)

Sorry Eileen Barton, but you're not helping this little lull I'm getting in the middle of the CD with "Together."  Actually on this one, it make be her voice.  Sounds like she has a cold a little.  Still a cute number, as is the next one, "Make Believe," with Jane Powell.  Frank's spoken intro takes me back to a time I wish I had lived in, and this really shows him off as the crooner we all want to remember him as.

Okay, the next track with Peggy Mann is probably, by default, my favorite.  I can't find a video with Peggy in particular, but here's one with Lena Horne and Old Blue Eyes so you get the effect:
I was in "Crazy For You" when I was 16, and I loved that the music was all the old standards I already knew and could sing to easily.  This was in that show, a little faster paced mind you, but still romantic as hell.  Who doesn't melt hearing "Just one look at you, my heart grew tipsy in me... You, and you alone, bring out the gypsy in me..."?? I know precisely who to think of in hearing that, and I think these old standards are meant to create a timeless feeling like that.

Lillian Raimondi comes in next with "Lover, Come Back To Me," which is not something I feel the need to hear more than once.  Maybe I'm coming down off the high of the last number, or maybe I'm being lulled to sleep a little... but I just feel sad hearing this, and not in a good reflective way, just sad.  Doris Day comes in on the next track though, and "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" has never been performed better. Woo! This is a swinger and so much fun.

Okay Judy, time for a redemption song.  God I love her old time voice.  I wish it were still marketable to sing like this.  "My Romance" doesn't capture me much as a song, but again, I love their voices and the soothing feel they can produce with a single note.   "No Can Do" with Lena Romay follows it up, and it's really an adorable song! I'm sure it was fantastic with a live audience and sort of as a comedy routine.  Recorded? It's meh.  Cute routine though, I'll give it that.  Ready to move on.  

Toni Harper has something incredibly familiar in her voice - almost sort of modern.  It's so jarring to hear in this, but it works.  Musical boundaries, in my own mind alone, are being crossed, and I'm liking it.  Barbara Britton, in "The Anniversary Song" doesn't quite give me the same feeling, but I can see this being a nice occasion song for the obvious day.  This has a very Godfather-Italian-esq feel though, which I can certainly appreciate given my upbringing.  This is probably what they'd dance to the next year after that fantastical affair.

"The night is young and you're so beautiful..." starts off the next track with June Hutton, by the same name.  Oh man, sexy song, watch out.  No, seriously, this is an old-school number, but wow could this one set the mood. Just saying.  God I hope my future husband reads my reviews at some point.  June and Frank aren't done with us yet though - they follow that one up with "I Think Of You," which is a little less appealing, but I get it.  Actually, ever seen 1776? There's some Adams' love affair in this one somewhere.

"Come Out, Wherever You Are," with Eileen Barton again, is another cute one.  I think Frank must have given the audience some cute look in this, because the ladies have a nice scream in the middle.  But then June Hutton comes back for "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To," which gives me the sultriness and Italian feel that just combine my favorite elements from my favorite songs on this album.

Okay, now we get Doris Day again and "There's No Business Like Show Business," which is just classical and fun and wonderful for ANYONE involved in the entertainment industry, though being a theatre nut helps me love it even more. Just purely classic showtune-ness.

Pearl Bailey closes out the album with Frank Sinatra for Parts I and II of "A Little Learnin' Is A Dang'rous Thing" which has a COMPLETELY different feel to it than the entire rest of the album! It's bluesy, soul-filled, and conversational.  What a way to wrap things up. I loved this piece - I laughed, I understood, and I appreciated.  This was a completely unexpected piece from Frankie, and I wish there was more of it.

Stuff I Wouldn't Mind Hearing Again:

  • "Let's Take An Old-Fashioned Walk" - http://open.spotify.com/track/5m3QzhXiilzgdciauqd8rM
  • "The Girl Next Door" - http://open.spotify.com/track/0AEq4gOUPNt023DHxqpitC
  • "Embraceable You" - http://open.spotify.com/track/2KwGuB8QAl5baXnLJC70ZD
  • "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" - http://open.spotify.com/track/2r1am6u6eCpgQrkiAzEdkI
  • "The Night Is Young And You're So Beautiful" - http://open.spotify.com/track/2O1Ah8INh4XPfaioB9ZocA
  • "There's No Business Like Show Business" - http://open.spotify.com/track/0fOhxYC7GERrjR3lwhlITv
  • "A Little Learnin' Is A Dang'rous Thing (Pt. I)" - http://open.spotify.com/track/5sDelqds8a3jCjkYn312BD
  • "A Little Learnin' Is A Dang'rous Thing (Pt. II)" - http://open.spotify.com/track/5zjm8Cil3m8BaFGjdll41k
So 8/24 sounds low. I look at it this way - Frank has TONS of standards that I am absolutely in love with.  This was the first time I've heard a majority of these tracks, and it's not what I expected, but I did manage to get some new old favorites from the experience.

Frankie shows me here that everyone does have hits and misses, and that's a timeless concept that can't be denied.  Or avoided, apparently.  But I did really enjoy these songs, many of which I had never heard before.  You usually hear Frank Sinatra as a solo act, or with the Rat Pack, but not often enough with ladies (yes, I know, different time).  I understand why, plus Nancy probably wouldn't have liked the sensualness of some of these numbers with him performing with other gals. ;)

I loved this though, and love that even now my PopPop is introducing me to new music and instilling such an appreciation for the best of the best.  Thank you again PopPop. <3


What's some music that changed your life, thanks to another person? What music shaped who you are and why you do what you do today? Comment below, I'd love to share in the experience. :)
5 Comments
    Google
    Custom Search

    Author

    My name's Janelle. I'm a fan of music.

    Archives

    January 2017
    January 2016
    December 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    Categories

    All
    10000 Reasons
    18 Months
    1968
    1978
    1982
    1984
    1995
    1996
    2003
    2007
    2008
    2009
    2010
    2011
    2012
    2012 Grammy Special
    2012 Grammys Special
    2013
    2013 Grammys Special
    2014
    2015
    2015 Grammys Special
    2016
    2016 Grammys Special
    2017 Grammys Special
    21
    2478fcc7c85e9
    2 Chainz
    33 1/3
    4
    4x4129e74cfccd9
    6b17225b62
    80s
    Acoustic
    Adele
    A Different Kind Of Truth
    A Different Ship
    A Dramatic Turn Of Events
    Adult Alternative
    Afro Cuban
    Ahmad Jamal
    A Holiday Carole
    Aimee Mann
    Alabama Shakes
    Album Review
    Album Reviews
    Album Title Goes Here239d00844a
    Alexander Glazunov
    Alex Storer
    Al Jarreau
    All Rebel Rockers
    Alternative
    Alternative Folk
    Alternative Hip Hop
    Alternative Rock
    Al Walser
    Ambiant
    Americana
    Amy Winehouse
    Anakin
    And If Our God Is For Us44b8fff38b
    Andrae Crouch
    Andrew Davis
    Anthrax
    Arabia Mountain
    Area 52
    Arrow
    Art Rock
    Artuno Sandoval
    Arun Shenoy
    Astral Weeks
    Avicii
    Bach
    Bad Jokes
    Bangarang
    Barbara Streisand
    Barbra Streisand
    Baroque Pop
    Barton Hallow
    Based On A T.r.u. Story
    Bbc Philharmonic
    Belmont
    Benny Benassi
    Best Of
    Best Song Written For Visual Media
    Beyonce
    Big Beat
    Big Krit
    Biophilia
    Bjork
    Black And White
    Black Taxi
    Blake Shelton
    Blind Pilot
    Blood Bank
    Blood Pressures
    Blueeyed Soul05b96abb11
    Bluegrass
    Blue Moon
    Blues
    Blues Rock
    Blunderbuss
    Body And Soul
    Body Talk Pt 3
    Bond The Paris Sessions40ce2eefdd
    Bon Iver
    Bonnaroo
    Bonnaroo Special
    Bonnie Raitt
    Booker T Jones9ee767620b
    Born Free
    Born This Way
    Bowen
    Boys & Girls
    Bozza Nova
    Brahms
    Break The Spell
    Brian Setzer
    Bring It On Home
    Britt Nicole
    Broadway
    Brothers Osborne
    Bruce Springsteen
    Bruno Mars
    California 37
    Calvin Harris
    Camp
    Canton Jones
    Carly Rae Jepsen
    Carole King
    Ccm
    Cee Lo Green
    Celtic Punk
    Ceremonials
    Chaal Baby
    Channel Orange
    Charlie Wilson
    Cheif
    Cherub
    Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Section
    Childish Gambino
    Choral
    Chris Botti
    Christian Pop
    Christian Pop Rock
    Christmas
    Chris Tomlin
    Cinema
    Circles Around Me
    City And Colour
    Classic
    Classical
    Cloud Maintenance
    Coheed And Cambria
    Coldplay
    Cole World: The Sideline Story
    Come Around Sundown
    Comeback
    Comedy
    Comedy Rock
    Cool Jazz
    Cosmogramma
    Country
    Cso Resound - Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Live
    Cuban
    Cut/Copy
    Daft Punk
    Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr
    Dance
    Dance Pop
    Dance-pop
    D'angelo And The Vanguard
    Danger Mouse
    Daniele Luppi
    Danny Brown
    Darondo
    Das Racist
    Daughtry
    Dave Koz
    Davenport Cabinet
    David Guetta
    Dawes
    Deadmau5
    Dean Taylor
    Dear Diz (every Day I Think Of You)
    Delta Spirit
    Derek And The Dominos
    Diddy-Dirty Money
    Dispatch
    Dispatch Ep
    Dj
    Dominionaire
    Donald Lawrence And The Company
    Don't Think
    Doo-wop
    Doo-Wops & Hooligans
    Dream Theater
    Dr John
    Dubstep
    Duck Sauce
    Duets Ii
    Duets With The Dames
    Dylan Connor
    Ed Sheeran
    El Camino
    El Debarge
    Electric Blues
    Electro House
    Electronic
    Electronica
    Electronic Dance Music
    Electronic Music
    Electronic Rock
    Electropop
    Elephant
    Elvis Costello
    Ema
    Eminem
    Eric Benet
    Eric Church
    Erin Mclendon
    Eurodance
    Experimental
    Experimental Rock
    Feist
    Female
    Film Soundtrack
    Fire & Ice
    Fitz And The Tantrums
    Flogging Molly
    Florence + The Machine
    Flower Punk
    Flying Lotus
    Folk
    Folk Blues
    Folk-Noise
    Folk Rock
    Follow Me Down
    Foo Fighters
    For The Good Times
    Foster The People
    Four Hands & A Heart
    Frank Ocean
    Frank Sinatra
    Fruit Bats
    Fun
    Funk
    Funk Rock
    Fusion
    Future Worlds
    Futuristic Soul
    Gaia
    Garage
    Garage Punk
    Gerald Albright
    Gerald Clayton
    Gillian Welch
    Glee Cast
    Glee The Music The Christmas Album Value 2
    Glossary
    Gold
    Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
    Gorillaz
    Gospel
    Gotye
    Greatest Hits... So Far!
    Hands All Over
    Hard Rock
    Harry Connick Jr.
    Heartless Bastards
    Heavy Metal
    Hello Fear
    Hello Tomorrow
    Here We Go Magic
    Heroes
    Hip Hop
    Hip-hop
    Holiday
    Home Again
    Horse Power Ep
    House
    Hugh Laurie
    Hunter Hayes
    I Can't Live Without You
    Impressions
    I'm With You
    In Concert On Broadway
    Indie
    Indie Folk
    Indie Pop
    Indie Rock
    Industrial Metal
    Instrumental
    Instrumental Rock
    Irish Pop
    Jack Bruce
    Jack Bruce & His Big Blues Band: Live 2012
    Jack White
    James Durbin
    Jamie Grace
    Jay-Z And Kanye West
    Jazz
    Jazz Fusion
    Jazz Pop
    J. Cole
    Jeff Beck
    Joan Osborne
    Joe Jackson
    ... Just A Matter Of Time
    Just Charlie
    Kaleidoscope Dream
    Kanye West
    Karen Elson
    Kaskade
    Kathleen Edwards
    Katy Perry
    Kelly Clarkson
    Kevin Hearn
    K Flay
    Khaira Arby
    Kid Rock
    Kim Burrell
    Kings Of Leon
    Kirk Franklin
    Kirtan
    Kiss
    Kisses On The Bottom
    Krishna Das
    Kristjan
    Lady Gaga
    Larry Carlton
    Lasers
    Last Train To Paris
    Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
    Leaving Richmond
    Leonard Cohen
    Let Them Talk
    Levels
    Lioness: Hidden Treasures
    Listen To My Song: The Music City Sessions
    Little Broken Hearts
    Little Hell
    Live
    Live Anada
    Live At Cecil Sharp House Ep
    Live At The Blue Note Tokyo
    Live At The Royal Albert Hall
    Live From Beyond Hell Above Heaven
    Live From The Underground
    Lmfao
    Locked Down
    Long Live All Of Us
    Lost In Time
    Loud
    Lounge
    Love Letter
    Lupe Fiasco
    Making Mirrors
    Man In Motion
    Marie Naffah
    Mark Ronson
    Maroon 5
    Mastodon
    Matt Redman
    Megadeth
    Melody Gardot
    Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster
    Metal
    Metals
    Michael Brandt Demaria
    Michael Buble
    Michael Franti & Spearhead
    Michael Kiwanuka
    Middle Eastern
    Midnight Boom
    Miguel
    Mistaken Identity
    Mom Dad0e99b45cc3
    More Monsters And Sprites Ep
    Mto Plays Sly
    Mumford And Sons
    Muse
    Music Is Better Than Words
    My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
    Mylo Xyloto
    Neo-prog
    Neo Soul
    N.E.R.D.
    Nero
    New Age
    New Music Friday
    New Music Tuesday
    New Prog
    New Wave
    New York City
    Nicki Minaj
    Nico Osborne
    Night And Day
    Nightmare Revisited
    Nine Types Of Light
    No
    Norah Jones
    Norman Brown
    Nothing
    Nothing But The Beat
    Nothing Is Wrong
    Old Ideas
    Once: A New Musical
    One Song At A Time
    Original Broadway Cast Recording
    Our Machine
    Outlaw Country
    Overexposed
    Parody
    Past Life Martyred Saints
    Pat Metheny
    Paul Mccartney
    Peter Kater
    Piano
    Pickin' Up The Pieces
    Pink Friday
    Pitbull
    Planet Pit
    P!nk
    P!nk
    Pop
    Pop Instrumental
    Pop Punk
    Pop Rock
    Pop Vocal
    Port Of Morrow
    Post-Britpop
    Post-grunge
    Post-hymnal Anthematic
    Post-Punk
    Post-punk Revival
    Power Metal
    Power Pop
    Primal Fear
    Progressive Bluegrass
    Progressive House
    Progressive Metal
    Protest
    Psychedelic Rock
    Pub Rock
    Punk Rock
    Rachel Platten
    Radioactive
    Radiohead
    Random Accessed Memories
    Random Discoveries
    Rap
    Rare Groove
    Rave On Buddy Holly
    R&B
    R&b
    Recommendations
    Red Baraat
    Red Hot Chili Peppers
    Red River Blue
    Reggae
    Reggaefusion
    Relax
    Remixes
    Requests
    Richard King
    Rihanna
    Ringo 2012
    Ringo Starr
    Rize Of The Fenix
    R. Kelly
    Robyn
    Rock
    Rock And Roll
    Rock 'N' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul
    Rock Opera
    Rodrigo Y Gabriela & C.U.B.A.
    Rolling Papers
    Romantic
    Rome
    Roses
    Royal Tailor
    Rumbadoodle
    Russian National Orchestra
    Sam Bush
    Sarah Jarosz
    Save The World
    Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites
    Second Chance
    Seraphic Fire
    Seth Macfarlane
    Setzer Goes Intru-Mental!
    Shamrocks
    Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
    Shemekia Copeland
    Short Of The Sun
    Showtunes
    Sia
    Sigh No More
    Singer Songwriter
    Singer-songwriter
    Sixx:A.M.
    Ska
    Skrillex
    Slipstream
    Sludge Metal
    Smashing Pumpkins
    Smooth Jazz
    So Far
    Soja
    Solo Albums
    Some Nights
    Sorry For Party Rocking
    Soul
    Soul Time!
    Soundtrack
    Southern Hip Hop
    Southern Rock
    Special Edition Post
    Speed Of Darkness
    Standards
    Steampunk
    Steve Aoki
    Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra
    Stomp And Smash
    Stoner Rock
    Storm Corrosion
    Strange Mercy
    Stranger
    Strength To Survive
    Stronger
    St Vincent
    Sunshine Pop
    Susan Boyle
    Swedish House Mafia
    Synthpop
    Talk That Talk
    Techno
    Teenage Dream
    Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection
    Tenacious D
    Th1rt3en
    That's How We Roll
    That's Why God Made The Radio
    The 2nd Law
    The Absence
    The Antlers
    The Band Perry
    The Beach Boys
    The Bird And The Submarine
    The Black Keys
    The Black Lips
    The Bristol Sessions
    The Cars
    The Chemical Brothers
    The Chieftains
    The Civil Wars
    The Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band
    The Cranberries
    The Credins
    The Decemberists
    The Devil Makes Three
    The Edges Of Twilight
    The Fall
    The Ghost Who Walks
    The Gift
    The Harrow & The Harvest
    The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
    The Hunter
    The Hybrid
    The Journey
    The Kills
    The King Is Dead
    The King Of Limbs
    The Lady Killer
    The Light Dreams
    The Little Willies
    The Lonely Island
    The Love Album
    The Lumineers
    The Metropole Orkest
    The Music City Story
    The Road To Memphis
    The Shins
    The Staves
    The Tea Party
    The Truth About Love
    The White Stripes
    Thrash Metal
    Together
    Tony Bennett And Various Artists
    Top 10
    Torches
    Traditional Pop
    Traditional Vocal
    Train
    Trance
    Tribute
    Trip-hop
    Tripper
    Tron: Legacy Reconfigured
    Turtleneck & Chain
    Tv On The Radio
    Tv Soundtrack
    Unbreakable
    Unique
    Until Now
    Valient Thorr
    Van Halen
    Van Morrison
    Various Artists
    Vernon Reid
    Voice Of Ages
    Volbeat
    Volume One
    Voyageur
    Wakey!wakey!
    Warren Haynes
    Wasting Light
    Watch The Throne
    We Are The Tide
    We Don't Know Any Better
    Weird Al
    Welcome Reality
    Weloveyoursongs.com Artists
    What It's All About
    What Matters Most
    When You're Through Thinking Say Yes
    White Denim
    Wild And Free
    Willie Nelson
    Wind Rock Sea And Flame
    Winner Selections
    Wiz Khalifa
    Wonderland
    World
    Worship Music
    Wrecking Ball
    Ya Rassoul
    Yelawolf
    Yellowcard
    Young The Giant
    YRM (Your Righteous Mind)
    Ziggy Marley
    Zonoscope

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.