Sing a Song with Riddle
Sing a Song with Riddle is a 1959 album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle. The album consists of arrangements for a vocalist but without a singer; a lyric sheet was supplied with the original album package for buyers to sing along with at home. The original inspiration for the album was a series of albums for amateur instrumentalists called "Music Minus One" on Command Records. Reception. William Ruhlmann reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote that "As mere listening experiences, many of these tracks are not actually recognized as the songs listed on  the LP jacket, but no doubt they would be if Sinatra was singing over them. Sometimes, Riddle uses a bit of the melody, but much of the time, this remains background music that needs to be completed by someone else. It's a clever gimmick and a bit of joke, and it shows how far Riddle's treatments can stray from the lead sheets on occasion". Ruhlmann concluded that "unless the buyer is standing by with the sheet music ready and a good voice to add on top" the album was an "incomplete experience." Sing a Song with Riddle Sing