California Girl
This particular California Girl originally hails from Jersey City, a fact that only underscores the mythic nature of the Golden State. And make no mistake: this is something of a kitsch record, even if it doesn't quite match the scale ofSebastian Cabot Sings Dylan. A musical tie-in with Disney's California Adventure park, this theme album fairly seamlessly melds previous Cali-related tracks from theNancy Sinatracanon with newly recorded versions of Bobby Troup's "Route 66," Bachrach's "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," Chicago's "Saturday in the Park," and even a duet with Brian Wilson on his evergreen "California Girls." If Nancy's voice has never quite benefited from the family gene pool lottery, it's developed a bit of jazzy brass and character over the years, a factor that helps recast even a melodramatic chestnut like the Mamas and Papas' "California Dreamin'" into a bluesy, world-weary lament. Guest stars like Blondie drummer Clem Burke and former Guns 'n' Roses ax-slinger Gilby Clark attempt to give the project some rock credibility, but Sinatra's take on Roy Wood's Move classic, "California Man" (inspired more by Cheap Trick's searing cover versions), and a William Shatner-worthy version of "Hotel California" only recallthe Chairman's own disastrous flirtations with the medium; perhaps it's something in the genes. But when she sticks to more pop- and jazz-tinged material, Sinatra shows she can definitely sell a song.--Jerry McCulley