Frank Sinatra is one of the most iconic singers who has ever walked on planet Earth. His influence and musical persona are highly memorable and instantly recognisable, even many years after his passing in 1998. Often seen as a crooner, he also sang some legendary songs that are now widely seen as solid gold classics in the world of music. Often with a swinging Jazz-based band to back himself up, the music by the man is truly timeless. This compilation album is a summary of the material recorded when Frank Sinatra was on his own Reprise label, and also charted and sold well after its release, going Gold in the process of sales. Charles Pignone oversaw this project, and the songs were recorded from 1962-1984. Frank Sinatra would likely have been proud of this release, but the most important thing is the music within. Let’s take a listen to the songs on this album, and we shall hear where it goes.

Come Fly With Me begins with an upbeat and brassy tune, and Frank Sinatra sings so joyously throughout. This sounds truly awesome, and the music is absolutely fine and fantastic, just like the best wine you will ever taste. This is an awesome and iconic opening track that sounds absolutely superb throughout. If you ever wish to get giddy with some excellent 20th-century music, this is a great starting point for such a thing. An awesome tune about travelling the world to exotic destinations, this is quite clearly a magical tune. No doubt that Frank Sinatra himself would have loved the end result musically on this song. Superb, cool and awesome, this tune is extremely memorable throughout. Nonetheless, a true winner of a listen. A great tune to hear when you are going on a romantic adventure with your partner, pure excellence.

The Best Is Yet To Come features another musical legend from around Frank Sinatra’s time, Count Basie. It begins with some descending piano that sounds awesome before Frank Sinatra launches into a raunchy and jazzy groove that sounds really fantastic and smooth. In any case, this is a good tune to swing along to and is appropriate for most circumstances and occasions throughout. If you love Jazz and crooner singers, look no further. This song looks at the optimism and brightness that a positive mindset can bring about the future. A really cool and awesome listening experience, this sounds absolutely wonderful. A very stunning and clever listen, this music is absolutely suitable for those of you who are partnered and deeply in love. A great song that fades out at the end. Sweet.

The Way You Look Tonight begins with a swinging Jazz based musical section that sounds really great. Frank Sinatra sings joyfully along with the band, and he envisions himself with the perfect lady who dresses and makes up extremely well for the occasion. All in all, this does sound superb. This is the perfect music for a dinner party with your lover and your closest friends. The imagery, lyricism, singing and music throughout are really fantastic throughout, and just sound absolutely magical. A really great listening experience, one can envision Frank Sinatra playing to a crowd of people with this song with whiskey and cigarettes being served at a grand venue. Truly awesome, and another winner of a tune. Supercharged, interesting and sweet, he ends it with a vibrato vocal over the band. Truly awesome.

Luck Be A Lady begins with some dramatic and emotional string sections before Frank Sinatra sings super sweetly throughout. This sounds powerful and moody for Frank Sinatra, and he details some relationship struggles throughout this tune. Even so, this sounds really awesome and is a warning to gentlemen out there who date the wrong lady. In any case, the music is simple, straightforward and brassy sounding, with some excellent music and musicianship throughout. A very awesome and vivid sounding tune throughout, this certainly is a powerful musical statement without electric guitars or other similar instrumentation. Frank Sinatra sounds very happy and enjoyable to listen to, despite the fact he is dealing with a troublesome woman. The music background is very suitable to this song’s lyrics, and it sounds driven and energetic. This is a fairly long song for Frank Sinatra at over five minutes in length, but it sounds awesome and incredibly good to this day. Nonetheless, this tune is a winner and a warning about dating the wrong woman for many men out there. A cool tune to hear, all the same. A definite winner of musical proportions. It has an awesome conclusion with a sustained vocal over the backing band to finish. Awesome.

Bewitched begins with some soft singing and lush instrumentation to match it. This is quite an odd choice for this compilation as a song. It’s a good listen, but nothing overly spectacular on this compilation. In any case, it certainly does sound interesting, and very tragic throughout. All the same, this music is legendary in its own way and Frank Sinatra sings softly about being blue. No doubt that Burt Bacharach would be envious of this sort of song. In any case, the music present is a good listen that echoes the solid gold classic 1955 album by Frank Sinatra, In The Wee Small Hours. Nonetheless, this has an optimistic and grand conclusion which is very dramatic. Frank Sinatra puts in an excellently sustained vocal amongst crashing instrumentation to conclude with. Sweet.

The Good Life features Count Basie. It begins with some dramatic flourishes and has Frank Sinatra singing sweetly about the brighter side of life. He sounds upbeat and optimistic throughout and is matched by simple and jazzy music that is likely to be seen as old-fashioned today. In any case, this is a marvellous tune that exudes a positive attitude throughout. A really awesome listening experience that sounds memorably good. The saxophone solo throughout is absolutely awesome, and this song concludes very nicely with a dramatic conclusion. Very, very good.

The Girl From Ipanema features Antonio Carlos Jobim. It begins with some catchy, Bossa Nova-styled acoustic guitar and enters into a horn-led and memorable piece of music. Frank Sinatra sings with deep regret on this tune, but very well indeed. This is a tune about a desired lady of one’s fancy who is extraordinarily beautiful. A really great and iconic tune from Frank Sinatra. The guest sings some interesting Spanish here, and the whole tune is still timeless and excellent today. A great listening experience, through and through, and something that Sinatra fans will appreciate. A wonderful piece of music from start to finish. Worth hearing and repeated listens. An awesome tune.

Fly Me To The Moon features Count Basie and is another awesome classic tune by Frank Sinatra. It begins with some rhythmic brushed drum hits, flute and Frank Sinatra singing with a promise about the adventures that one can have throughout love, life and romance. All in all, this is a really fantastic and supercharged tune that has attitude, charm and joy throughout. This music is definitely for those of you who value the good old days (so to speak) of the world itself. This two-and-a-half-minute-long song is absolutely brilliant to hear and is a powerful rush of Jazz-based intricacies and music. The song is one of Sinatra’s best and just sounds mindblowing to this very day. All in all, an accomplished and wonderful listen with some interesting Jazzy brass band fills to wrap up, followed by Frank Sinatra and piano, simply stating: “I, love…you!”

Summer Wind begins with some retro 1960s organ and sounds really great throughout. This song is beautiful, upbeat and gorgeous throughout, just sounding really awesome to listen to. A very, very good listening experience that is picturesque and lovely throughout, Frank Sinatra animates the joy of young people’s romance and the love that they share together. Frank Sinatra perfectly articulates the love and lust that people have for each other when in their early adulthood. Marvellous and a stroke of genius, Frank Sinatra will definitely put a smile on your face on this compilation. Very sweet and brilliant from start to finish. It fades out gently at the end.

Strangers In The Night is one of the most famous Frank Sinatra tunes ever made. This is about two people who meet as strangers in a social environment and fall in love with each other. Quite a romantic and tender subject musically to base a song on, this is nonetheless, absolutely marvellously brilliant. All in all, this music is super sweet, just like a fresh gin and tonic. Frank Sinatra puts his heart on his sleeve on this performance and sounds very emotional throughout. A magical and sweet tune to hear, there is a key change towards the end and this is a great song with a happy ending. Very nice to hear, absolutely worth your time. Frank Sinatra sings some harmonies at the end of this song as well.

Call Me Irresponsible is a strange addition to this compilation. It has Frank Sinatra humming away to begin with, before launching into a good song that doesn’t sound like it fits this retrospective release at all. To be fair, the people overseeing this project could have easily dumped this rather slow and average song. It isn’t outright bad, just a “what the hell are they thinking?” musical moment when Frank Sinatra had many, many great songs other than this one. Still, it’s okay but definitely not a standout musical moment. The sounds are good, however, even if this is a weak spot musically. It concludes nicely, with some lush instrumentation to match.

Somethin’ Stupid is one of the much better Frank Sinatra musical moments. It begins with some acoustic guitars and drumming in the left channel, with Frank Sinatra and his wife Nancy Sinatra singing along sweetly. This is a sad and rather melancholic tune that is about regretting one’s romance with a lady or man of fancy. This, nonetheless, is a fantastic and awesome listening experience that takes one’s mind to the imaginative scene at hand. All in all, this is definitely a really great song to listen to. This music is genuinely good to listen to, and the sounds throughout are perfect for the musical tragedy at hand. Decent.

My Kind Of Town begins with some interesting and moody string sections, just before Frank Sinatra gets singing. This song immediately sounds marvellous and interesting throughout, and the music is very dramatic. The chorus launches into a great story musically about the great city of Chicago in the USA, located in the state of Illinois. A very lovely and interesting piece of nicely crafted music, this does sound superb and dramatic throughout. A great piece of lyricism set to a snappy Jazz band soundtrack, Frank Sinatra sounds very joyful and giddy here, and this is an essential cut from the main man himself. A really awesome tune to listen to, and something absolutely worth your time. Great through and through, and it has a very dramatic and excellent finale with a sustained vocal from Frank, followed by a glorious brassy conclusion. Excellent.

It Was A Very Good Year is a bit of an odd addition to this compilation, as it sounds a little out of place here. Frank Sinatra sings with some mournful instrumentation, and he sings about past memories of long ago. All in all, this is a bit depressing but solidly excellent music to listen to on this track. In any case, this song will not appeal to every single Frank Sinatra fan out there, it sounds rather miserable and retrospective throughout. In any case, this song is a tragic yet grand listening experience about love lost in the past. This is beautiful yet tragic music to hear. If you need to shed some tears to Frank Sinatra, this is one of the better songs to do such a thing to. A very unusual piece of music for the likes of Sinatra, this is still listenable, but only for a certain mood or state of mind. It is a very sad and melancholy song. All in all, this music does sound very emotional and intensely so. Frank Sinatra proves he has plenty of musical tricks up his sleeve. A great song, but a very miserable listen at that.

That’s Life is a quintessential Frank Sinatra piece, beginning with organ and bass guitar, along with drums. Frank Sinatra and crew get singing nicely here, and he sounds very happy and full of life on this tune. The chorus in particular is pure and infectious throughout. A really great song about life’s experiences, and just wearing whatever stuff life throws at you. An awesome tune to make one smile at the meaning of it all, Frank Sinatra does very well on this song. A great piece of three-minute-long Pop oriented crooner-styled music, this is absolutely awesome and uplifting throughout. There is a key change towards the end of this song and something that sounds absolutely wonderful. A true classic of modern musical history.

Moonlight Serenade is a frenetic-sounding piece of music from the start, with a busy string section. Soon enough, Frank Sinatra sings nicely about serenading a woman with his singing outside a lady’s home. The things that young, lustful heterosexual men do. Quite a hilarious concept in today’s world, but back in the 20th century, not so unusual. In any case, this song is gorgeous and sweet, and Frank Sinatra was no doubt a real ladies’ man out there. Frank Sinatra was a man best representative of the 1950s era, where such old-fashioned behaviour was the norm out there. In any case, this music is fantastic and the string section in particular sounds delicious throughout this song. A really sweet, lovely and gorgeous listening experience that sounds whimsical lyrically, but pretty musically. All in all, a really sweet and tasty tune that is a reminder of the old-fashioned romance that people had in mind, rather than the one-night stand culture of today, not to mention 50%+ divorce rates in today’s postmodern world. All in all, a really great listening experience that sounds super lovely and reassuring to one’s love. Great to hear from start to finish. It ends with some very lovely instrumentation.

Nothing But The Best sounds very glorious from the start of the song, with some snappy brass and snare drum rolls. Frank Sinatra sings nicely about the sort of lifestyle that he enjoys, and he won’t be anything but #1 in his real intentions. Of course, not everyone would do the things that Frank Sinatra would have loved, but this music is absolutely gorgeous and sensationally good throughout. An awesome and very articulate listening experience about being in love, both with life and a lady of one’s choice. A really awesome, excellent and fantastic listening experience, to this very day. Frank Sinatra himself sounds like a real champion of old-fashioned ways. Remember, he passed on in 1998 and didn’t see the 21st century. Still, a really great song. One of the more underrated Frank Sinatra songs.

Drinking Again is just a soundtrack for those of you who like to drink by themselves. A moody yet interesting tune about missing a lover whilst drinking alone. A really good tune to hear, Frank Sinatra sounds lonely here. A really good song, likely one of the more underrated and underappreciated pieces on this compilation. Perfect music for whiskey drinking and Marlboro cigarettes, this is a superb and underrated listen by arguably the best crooner out there who walked this earth, Frank Sinatra. A really great listen if you feel blue. A really interesting story about being alone and wishing one’s love was there, by one’s side. Good tune.

All My Tomorrows is another rather strange addition to this compilation. It begins with a really pretty string section and launches into a moving and emotional-sounding piece of music. Frank sounds like he is contemplating deeply what is going on in his life, and he sounds very moody. If there is at all a slight flaw to this compilation, it is that the track choice could arguably be better. Even so, this does sound very sweet to listen to. He devotes his life and love to a lady who is absolutely perfect to be matched with himself, and the listener can just imagine being with a long-lost love of one’s fancy, with this in mind. In any case, this is a good song to listen to, and the music is very illuminating throughout. This song is good for what it is from start to finish. Frank Sinatra reminds us that, as humans, we all have our relationships that we cherish in our love life. A really dramatic listening experience from start to finish, this does sound very sweet. At the end, one will be nodding in understanding and appreciation of the music and message here. Another solidly good listen.

My Way is the definitive song by Frank Sinatra. He sounds a little fragile singing at the start, but quickly launches into a world-famous and glorious song that will instantly make you think of Frank Sinatra himself. A really cool song that has been referenced by everyone from the Family Guy TV show, to singer David Lee Roth and even politicians. An excellent and definitive song by Frank Sinatra that will make you feel emotional about the master of crooning, Sinatra himself. A really great song to listen to, even today. This is a really cool song that has power, majesty and beauty. And of course, Frank Sinatra did it his way. There was nobody quite like him and his music. This song is absolutely legendary throughout and is also absolutely worth hearing if you want to prove yourself to the world. The epic finale of this song is memorable. A really top listen from start to finish, finishing with a lone vocal and soft instrumentation. Brilliant.

Theme From New York, New York is another very famous Frank Sinatra tune about one of the most populated cities in the world. It is piano-based with a memorable melody throughout, and Frank Sinatra sings happily about the famous city of New York. He sounds chock full of joy, charisma and lusting after New York itself. Even if you have never been to New York, this is a really fine and proud song celebrating the city itself. A really great song to hear from start to finish. “I want to wake up, in a city that never sleeps…” sings Frank Sinatra. This song changes dramatically towards the end, as it builds up to a loud and exciting climax. A really great song from start to finish and a wonderful listen. Great to hear.

Body And Soul is the final song on this compilation. Again, another rather odd choice musically to put on this collection of Frank Sinatra songs. It is moody and melodramatic and sounds different from the start of it all. A really sweet and great listening experience, this sounds incredibly emotional yet full of yearning for a lover. A good song, but why on earth this is on a Frank Sinatra compilation is questionable. All the same, this is okay but very much a miss here. In any case, this is okay to listen to, despite its awkwardness musically. Frank Sinatra doesn’t sound particularly happy on this song. It is a more sad and emotional listen than you’d expect. It has a lengthy instrumental solo section before Frank Sinatra returns on vocals. A good listen, but definitely nothing great. It wraps up with a rather sad ending, and the compilation ends there.

This collection of songs, although undeniably good, is somewhat hit-and-miss. Although all the songs are fairly memorable, the organisers of the compilation, given that Frank Sinatra was gone by this point, could have done much better. The selection of songs isn’t always the best, and it seems that the producers were just aiming to make a few dollars off Frank Sinatra’s legacy. Therefore, this isn’t perfect. Should you listen to this album? Do give it a spin, but there is a lot of filler here.

A good but not great representation of Frank Sinatra’s music.

7/10