Rating the Mona Lisa

Writing a review of this c.d. is a little bit like critiquing the Mona Lisa. So many deservedly positive things have been said about it, that what more is there to say? Or, as somebody once said, "In spite of all the people who say that Shakespeare is very good, Shakespeare is in fact very good."



There is no popular recording to my knowledge where a singer lays his or her soul so raw, so emotionally out there, for the world to bear witness. Whether it was the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, or memories of Ava Gardner, or whatever that drove Old Blue Eyes to do this, every song is tinged with heartache, sadness and pain. Only "Ebb Tide" has a peaceful resolution; and nothing swings.



Maybe the "new" perspective on this album could be this: Though this album was recorded in 1958, the songs are timeless. In more recent years, Karrin Allyson and Tierney Sutton have done more romantic versions of songs such as "Only the Lonely", "Where or When" and "What's New", for example. Yet, I really cannot think of a contemporary popular male singer of any genre who could have come close to creating what Sinatra creates here.



Listening to this is like listening to Caballe sing "Madama Butterfly." It is the best of examples of how a singer can create such raw emotion from the depths of his or her soul. However, if you are sad, clinically depressed or have a migraine, you may want to skip this one. Absolutely essential listening for everyone else, though. RC

Sinatra Defines Loneliness With These Superb Torch Songs

My mother, who used to be a Frank Sinatra bobby-soxer, played this album frequently while I was a kid. I copped it for my own once I hit high school and began to have a series of catastrophic crushes, as do most teens. This is definitely music to mourn to. "In The Wee Small Hours" is Frank at his bleakest. He was in the process of getting over his marriage to Ava Gardner and still carrying a torch. His sorrow here is palpable. These beautiful ballads are filled with the sound of heartbreak. If you haven't heard this album, you may think I am being corny, or over-exaggerating. But, hey! This is real eat-your-heart-out music! For me, it is Frank Sinatra's greatest album and includes some of the best ballads ever written.



"In The Wee Small Hours" is another of the successful collaborations between Sinatra and arranger Nelson Riddle for Capitol Records. I still have the old 33 and 1/3 recording, and it never sounded as good as this remastered version.



If I had to pick a favorite, it would be "Good-Bye." The lyrics get me ever time, as does the despair in Old Blue Eyes' voice. His version of "Willow Weep for Me" is the best I have heard, and "One For My Baby," where he pours his heart out to a bartender, is extraordinary. Other favorites include "Angel Eyes," "What's New," and "It's A Lonesome Old Town," which really defines loneliness. Of course everyone has their own favorites. The point here is that all the songs are special and the Great One's voice is mellow, poignant and so sad. The best!

JANA

Tied for "Best of the Sad Sinatra"

In the fifties, Frank Sinatra put out a string of albums that emphasized one or another extremes of mood. There were the swingin', swaggerin' discs of the upbeat Frank -- "Come Dance With Me," "A Swingin' Affair," etc. And there were the sad-to-the-point-of-being-suicidal discs, of which "The Wee Small Hours" is perhaps the best known. But listening to "Only the Lonely" challenges the notion that "The Wee Small Hours" is the undisputed best of the sad discs. Though "Only the Lonely" doesn't surpass it, I think it might just make for a tie. The opening {title) cut, frankly, does it for me. The song is so difficult, and Sinatra owns it so, that it's rarely been recorded since (though Tierney Sutton does a very nice version on her "Dancing in the Dark" disc).



Sinatra supposedly wanted to call this record "For Losers Only." Well, it's not -- other than that we're all losers in love at some point. And this makes a great soundtrack for those moments.