Frank Sinatra – Come Fly With Me (1958)

The 1950s was a totally different era of music, culture and society in the western world. Frank Sinatra, a legend of the world of music, released this album which is one of his most loved releases of all his discography. This is the upbeat and more swinging side of Frank Sinatra, showcasing a simpler time in the world and a jazzy, positive sort of music that is rarely revisited today. Let’s take a listen to this album and hear if it is worth hearing.

Come Fly With Me begins with a fluttering string section before Frank Sinatra launches into his most cheerful and irresistibly wonderful sounding voice possible. The whole thing is about air travel to various exotic hotspots around the world and is marvellously delivered. A really great and lovely sounding piece of music that sounds really classy, elegant and Jazzy, this is one of Sinatra’s best. The instrumentation matches the music perfectly, and this is awesome and refreshing listening. A genuine classic in the world of music.

Around The World begins with a slow, lush string section and has Frank Sinatra deliver a fluttering vocal about looking for a special someone. A really lovely and awesome tune, this is a really great effort to listen to, and just sounds really pretty and excellently delivered. The string section in the middle is exhilarating listening and just sounds top-notch. In any case, this is a suspenseful and emotional listening experience that does very well. Another decent song by Frank Sinatra.

Isle Of Capri is a shorter piece that sounds raunchy and romantic from the start. It is a classic and pretty song about romance and other adventures with a lover. A really cool and excellent piece of music, and short under three minutes long, this is really great listening. Thunderous drum rolls lead onto the changes in sections, and this song is really cool. A great and humourous song with a twist to it as well. Nice job.

Moonlight In Vermont begins with a trumpet and string section, before launching into a slower and more suspenseful piece of music that sounds really soothing and excellent. An old fashioned piece, especially in some of the lyricism, but still awesome Frank Sinatra sounds here. A really classy and cool piece of music, this is history folks. Singing about telegraph cables and other things from eras gone by, this is marvellous music to listen to. It gets soft and gentle at the end, before concluding nicely. Great.

Autumn In New York begins with a dramatic string section before going straight into a piece that sounds magical. The song is really top quality and Frank Sinatra is in fine form on this song. A really decent piece of music about being in New York City during a particular time of year, Frank sings about dreams and other similar experiences that are really fine and fantastic. A lively and softly swinging piece, this does have some incredibly good performances by all. Nice music, especially for those who either live in New York or who have visited there. Decent tune.

On The Road To Mandalay begins with some quirky trumpets and percussion, before launching straight into a bass-heavy piece that sounds amazingly good. This song is about wartime romance and other events that go on. Of course, this music is clever, passionate and old fashioned, but don’t let it pass you by. This is great through and through, and Frank Sinatra is cheerful and welcoming in a musical sense. Great music, and it just sounds really cool. Nice effort to listen to. It ends with a gong being hit.

Let’s Get Away From It All is a short piece of music that is cheerful and upbeat and launches into an upbeat, swinging piece about travelling with a lover and having a great time with her. Of course, totally old fashioned music, but it has aged as nicely as fine wine. Frank Sinatra wins over everyone on this album and does a wonderful job of doing so. Top tune, worth listening to.

April In Paris begins with a surge of instrumentation, with Frank Sinatra singing wonderfully and deeply about having said lover in Paris. It’s a rather slower and less upbeat piece than you’d expect and is more performance to show off Frank’s fluttering vocals and the beauty of the melody. A really great and pretty ballad, this is fine listening. Good to hear.

London By Night is next and begins with more fluttering string sections in the intro. Frank gets singing away nicely, and he just sounds really top on this song. It is a more cheerful and optimistic piece of music that sounds incredibly good. With references to romance and cigarettes, this is definitely not something that you would easily hear today on the radio or elsewhere. A truly impressive and pretty sounding tune, this sounds really cool. A nice and enjoyable piece of well-structured music, it ends with some great orchestral and semi-Psychedelic sounds. Nice effort.

Brazil begins with in-your-face and dramatic horns, before launching into a frenetic, quick and cool upbeat piece of music. This is really great listening, Frank Sinatra and crew put in 100% to achieve their classy results, which they do. One of the more uptempo and crazier sounding Sinatra songs, there is a wonderful trumpet solo that sounds really cool. Anyway, this is a good piece that sounds super classy, all the way through to the fade-out.

Blue Hawaii begins with a rushing string section that sounds eerie. It quickly launches into a song about a series of romantic events in the paradise that Hawaii is. A very different, yet decent sounding pick from the huge back catalogue of Frank Sinatra’s music, this sounds really great. Singing about the night, times with a lover and the situation of being in a magical place, this is another solid Frank Sinatra piece. Excellent work. A great listen from start to finish.

It’s Nice To Go Trav’ling begins with some lively and different percussion and xylophone, along with trumpet and string sections. This particular piece is about returning home from travel, and Frank Sinatra’s singing on this song is really top. He just delivers nicely, and the music of this song is punchy, swinging and energetic in an upbeat and positive way. Frank Sinatra does a wonderful job musically, and this song is a real winner. A stunning and amazing tune, this just sounds spot on and wonderfully delivered. It is sure nice to be home when necessary, and Frank points this out nicely.

Chicago is the windy city, and it sure sounds like a nice tune from the start. Frank Sinatra sings passionately about one of his favourite cities in the USA, and this is an upbeat and Jazzy piece of music that sounds really excellent. A lively and upbeat piece of music, this sounds really very fine and sweet. Nice tune.

South Of The Border is not an Ed Sheeran tune featuring Cardi B. Instead, it is an excellent tune that is another original Frank Sinatra piece that sounds fiery and charged, full of typical Frank passion and spot-on delivery. A real delight about going to Mexico and falling in love, this is a really incredible and great listen. The brass section on this song is powerful and energetic, and just sounds interesting and cool. Top effort.

I Love Paris is the last song on this album. It is less than two minutes long but is supercharged and pretty nonetheless. Another fine example of what makes Frank Sinatra great, and singing about one of the biggest tourist spots in the world. A really great and climatic piece of music, this is nothing but sensational. A great way to finish a top album, it fades out gently and nicely.

This is one of the better Frank Sinatra albums out there and has the semi-concept theme of travel to match it. Although COVID-19 has changed this freedom to travel for many, this is a reminder of a more joyous and happier time in humanity’s existence where travel was only determined by paying for plane tickets. Nonetheless, this is a great place to start if you have never heard Frank Sinatra’s music before, or any Crooner style stuff. A must-have in your collection.

Upbeat and fantastic.

9/10