Frank Sinatra – All Alone (1962)

Another year, another bunch of releases were delivered from one of the greatest crooners ever, Frank Sinatra. Although Frank Sinatra himself arguably had peaked with consistency on In The Wee Small Hours back in 1955, he was still churning out regular music to impress fans of the singer worldwide. This is a release that should be interesting to listen to regardless for Sinatra fans out there, so let’s do just that.

We begin with All Alone which begins with a lone Frank Sinatra vocal before orchestral instrumentation kicks in. This is a rather sad tune, but nonetheless, is melodramatic and effective. It does sound really great all the same and is an excellent opening title track to hear. There is a string section solo here that is actually very good. In the second half are some female vocals that duet with Frank Sinatra, before this beautifully tragic piece concludes. Excellent.

Next up is The Girl Next Door which has a clarinet and a gentle string section, launching into a tune that is really quite good. It is a much more upbeat tune than you’d expect, and Frank Sinatra sings about a beautiful lady that he secretly loves from next door. He sounds rather cheerful, despite the fact he hasn’t got said lady he desires. Really nice listening, this is a genuinely good song. Great melodramatic effort.

Are You Lonesome Tonight? follows and it does sound incredibly grand with an opening string section. Frank Sinatra gets singing away and is a great reflection on love lost. In any case, no matter if Frank Sinatra is joyful or miserable, he delivers 100% on this tune. A really great listen, although this album is not consistent emotionally, but then again, does it really matter with Frank Sinatra? A wonderful statement from our main man Frank Sinatra, he sings about missing a lover of his. Excellent song nonetheless.

Charmaine begins with a string section that sounds emotionally mixed. Frank Sinatra sings about a metaphorical lover who he misses a lot. This one is a piece that is neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic, it’s just delivered very well. It is a lovely listen regardless and is a very direct statement from Frank Sinatra. With lyrical references to desiring for said woman to return, it is a good listen here. Nice effort, and a clever piece of music.

Next up is What’ll I Do? which begins with some moody emotional string section, before Frank Sinatra kicks in with a vocal that has mixed emotions. This piece, and indeed, the album is a bunch of mixed emotions that sounds really confused in some ways. It’s not bad, but it sounds as though neither Frank nor the supporting musicians could figure out whether or not to be happy or sad. A good piece of music nonetheless, but a very mixed listen.

Following is When I Lost You which is a really dark sounding piece in the intro, before launching into a very bleak Frank Sinatra tune indeed. It sounds very close to the bone for Frank to deliver. Again, this is a bit of a mixed emotional listen, but nonetheless, is a really good and excellent listen throughout. This is a good piece of music to remind one of the failed relationships that abound in one’s life. A really decent tune regardless. The string sections on these songs are absolutely beautiful.

Oh, How I Miss You Tonight begins with harp and other interesting orchestration before our main man Frank Sinatra gets singing nicely away. It is a reflective tune about missing a lover who is long gone and unlikely never to return. It’s a good listen anyway, even if the emotions are quite mixed on this album and song. The minimal and subtle instrumentation is really nice on this record, and this is a really bleak sounding song. A good, if mixed up listen.

Indiscreet comes along next, which has a really melodramatic string section with some surprises to it. Frank Sinatra sings about longing for a lady who he is loving/lusting after. This is a good piece of music, although like the rest of the album, sounds a bit mixed up musically. Frank Sinatra gets very personal on this song, and he sounds like he is having a hard time dealing with his emotions. In any case, this is a unique and different listen that sounds really good. Interesting and decent tune.

Up next is Remember which begins with more moody string sections to it, before launching into a piece of music that sounds rather upbeat for the album. A gorgeous and different sounding piece from this album, it is enough to put a smile on one’s face. In any case, this is Frank doing very well indeed in a musical sense. He delivers exceptionally well, and he suits the music perfectly, even if he sounds blue, particularly at the end. Great stuff here.

Following is Together which begins with some pretty instrumental fills before Frank Sinatra sings deeply about love that is gone. A really cool and fine listen, this is about reflecting upon memories of the past. The string section on this song is really lovely, and the whole thing sounds really great. In any case, this sounds very emotionally intense. A really great piece on reflecting the past, with an interesting climax. Good work Frankie.

The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) is a wondrous and pretty way to finish this album. Frank Sinatra sings emotionally on this piece, putting his heart on his sleeve. A really amazing and pretty listen, although he sounds very broken-hearted on this song. Really fine listening, although rather depressing in some ways. It’s still really excellent, mind you. A wonderful and excellent listen, there is an Opera vocal solo here towards the end, which is different. A good finish to a rather unusual album.

To be fair, although this is classic Frank Sinatra as per usual, it does not seem overly consistent musically and emotionally compared to some of his earlier releases. However, despite saying that, this is still a very decent listen, despite its flaws. It is one for the fans of the crooner and is a good listen throughout nonetheless.

A mixed box of chocolates.

8/10