Change Partners...

For rabid completists only...which would include myself. However, of all the Sinatra CDs in the universe to add to your collection, these should be the last. For the same money you can buy 3 or 4 classic Capitol or Reprise albums that are among the finest records ever made. If you already have Duets I or II and are considering buying this for the extra interview tracks, stay away... it's not interesting stuff at all and not worth the extra money. Many of these Sinatra performances would actually be worth hearing without the overdubbed "duets" by this strange cast of characters that only a marketing & PR committee could have ever dreamed up (Jimmy Buffet? Gloria Estefan? Luther Vandross? Bono????). In fact, "One For My Baby" is a beautiful, twilight reading tainted only by the thakfully minimal overdubbed soprano sax noodlings of the nauseating Kenny G. There are a few other near misses here: duets with Lorrie Morgan, Natalie Cole, Lena Horne, and Linda Ronstadt are okay... Still, this set will leave you cold and wanting to hear more of The Man and less of his phoned-in guests. (rumor has it that you can find a "black-market" CD of Sinatra's vocals from these sessions without the overdubbed duets [it's titled "Solos"]. Too bad Capitol Records hasn't released those tracks as a "Limited Edition" instead of this set.)

Interesting Mainly from a historical persepctive...

Anyone familiar with the awesome depth of Mr.Sinatra's song catalogue should hear/buy this only after about 60 other CD's. The general rule to thumb is the more "rock oriented" the performer, the worse the duet. On all of them, the Man is in his late 70's,making a game effort with a voice that sadly has sung thousands and thousands and thousands of professional hours, and cannot be near his peak. In other words, hoarse, course, and almost shot by this time. Give the Man ***** (5-stars) for the effort!! His best numbers are with his own peers (though really no one is Frank's peer): Lena Horne, Steve and Eydie.Tony Bennett..From the younger crowd, Lorrie Morgan is excellent, and Neil Diamond, along with Frank Jr., is reasonable also...The trouble here is that you have Bono, C. Simon, Kenny G.,Jimmy Buffet, and some others who belong in the same ring with the Man like an 8th Grader belongs in the ring with your favorite heavyweight...Ridiculous...This is a study in how far popular "singers" have fallen in about 35 years...Only for the completist with a lot of extra cash...If you're a youngster, this is NOT Frank at his best...Get COME DANCE WITH ME as a starter kit, from 1959!!! Then e mail me, and I'll help you further. Or look at my (and others) Frank reviews here on AMAZON!!

What a Cryin' Shame

If you're a Sinatra fan, this hurts! It saddens me to think that a young person might but this album and think to himself, "What in the world was so special about this guy?" Please buy "Only the Lonely," "In the Wee Small Hours," "Sinatra and Strings," "A Swingin' Affair," "Come Dance with Me," "Songs for Swingin' Lovers," and get an idea what made this man a cultural icon. "Duets", a project foisted on an elderly Sinatra clouds the greatest of the Voice who, I'm certain, would have never conceived or permitted such a project at this moment of his life.