Ring a Ding Ding
This 1961 album was Sinatra's first release for his own label, Reprise. Not coincidentally, there's an obvious air of exultation running throughout the entire record. Sinatra is in impeccable voice as he swaggers through Johnny Mandel's arrangements with confidence to spare, delivering unforgettable versions of "A Foggy Day," "When I Take My Sugar to Tea," "Let's Face the Music and Dance" and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." This is prime "Rat Pack"-era Sinatra, as rakish as the tilt of his hat on the album's cover. Sadly, too few of his subsequent Reprise releases managed to measure up to the standard set by this album.--Dan Epstein