Sinatra's Swingin Session
Released in early 1961,Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!is one of the last albums the Chairman of the Board made for Capitol before leaving for Reprise. Like most of Sinatra's Capitol recordings, this one shows the singer at the peak of his vocal and interpretive abilities. Nelson Riddle's hard-swinging arrangements of standards like Rodgers and Hart's "Blue Moon," Irving Berlin's "Always," and Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me" would leave most vocalists in the dust, but Sinatra masters them without ever seeming to break a sweat. The CD reissue includes three outtakes from the original sessions, including a sly version of "Old MacDonald" that places a special emphasis on "chicks" but has nothing at all to do with barnyard animals.--Dan Epstein