By this point in his career, Frank Sinatra was on a roll. He had established a great reputation for creating music that was upbeat, smooth and Jazzy, notably as a Crooner. This album has one of Frankie’s most definitive songs in his long and productive music career as the title track. This was produced by Jimmy Bowen and orchestrated arrangements by Ernie Freeman. The album reached #5 in many charts globally, which was a very difficult thing to do, given that Rock Music was becoming more and more prominent. Recorded during 1965-1966, eventually being released on 18 November 1966, this ought to be a winner of a listen. The cover artwork is by Bill George. Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear if it is any good.

1. That’s Life is, of course, the title track of the album. It was a huge hit at the time, and immediately upon listening, one can hear exactly why this is the case. An awesome and pleasant listen with references to giving it all in one’s life. A sensationally wonderful and pretty tune, with some awesome and amazing vocals and lyrics throughout. This is a fantastic song that is life-defining, and likely Frank Sinatra’s single best musical moment. A really top-notch tune to listen to, this is an outstanding and powerful listen throughout. Using intelligent and good comparisons throughout, Frank Sinatra takes it to the next level towards the end with a great key change and he sings with purpose and passion. The conclusion of the song is fantastic. Awesome.

2. I Will Wait For You begins with some interesting strings and horns, which sound extremely dramatic. Frank Sinatra sings about longing for a lover, and the negativity surrounding it all. This is a very good song, despite the melancholy present. Again, Frank is on top of his game on this album, and he delivers a fantastic piece of music throughout. This music is very decent to hear. If you miss an ex-partner, then this song is definitely for you. Very, very sweet to listen to. Worth hearing as well. It ends with dramatic horns and acoustic guitar, followed by strings and piano. Neat.

3. Somewhere My Love (Lara’s Theme) begins with a much brighter and more cheerful atmosphere and Frank Sinatra sounds absolutely joyous throughout. He is on a real roll throughout this song, and the music and lyricism sound wonderful, upbeat and happy. This is yet another fantastic song that exudes optimism and a good attitude throughout. A winner, and this does sound super fantastic to listen to. Very very awesome, and a winner of a tune. Frank Sinatra has delivered another solid gold album, and this is one of the many tunes that people should hear by the man. Fantastic.

4. Sand and Sea begins with some upbeat and interesting instrumentation, including a keyboard throughout. Frank Sinatra sings nicely about the experiences that one can have together on a romantic getaway with a partner. Again, this is a fantastic tune for young newlyweds to listen to on their honeymoon, it is ridiculously good to listen to in most circumstances. A splendid and enjoyable tune to listen to, this sounds outstandingly wonderful. A winner, and it sounds lovely and dramatic, especially at the end of the tune. It fades out nicely.

5. What Now My Love begins with some drumming rolls and brass in the right channel, before launching into a great song about being left by a lover, and wanting things to be better per se. This sounds extremely fantastic throughout, and Frank Sinatra himself is in top form on this tune. The music, melodies and singing are superb and sensationally awesome to listen to. All in all, this is a winner of a tune that works well on many musical levels. A great song about dealing with a breakup at hand, this is still a good listen. Sweet.

6. Winchester Cathedral begins with more upbeat and joyful-sounding instrumentation. The song quickly gets going nicely into an unusual tune about losing one’s love and attempting to deal with that. Frank Sinatra sounds amazing in this tune, and he delivers a fantastic and interesting song that has a ton of appeal throughout. A very top-notch and awesome listen, this sounds awfully cheerful about one’s loss of love. A fine tune to hear, time and time again. An incredibly pleasant listen about one’s loss of love. Worth every moment of listening.

7. Give Her Love is another pleasant and tranquil listen with some electric guitar and other neat instrumentation thrown into the mix. Frank Sinatra sings with passion and in a smooth way about what he depicts as needing to treat a lady right. This may come across as sexist by some, but then again, this was recorded in 1966 when sexual attitudes of that time were completely different to today’s attitudes. Nonetheless, the music present is very amazing and awesome to listen to. The instrumental break in the second half of the song is amazing. A fantastic listen, through and through. It ends with a glorious vocal by Sinatra and crashing instrumentation. Again, neat.

8. Tell Her (You Love Her Each Day) begins with some awesome drumming in the right channel, before this tune gets going along nicely. Frank Sinatra sounds like a Crooner on a mission, to unite those of you out there who love classy Jazz based music out there. This is a song of romantic dedication that sounds really awesome and amazing throughout. Again, this is Frank Sinatra telling his (presumably) male section of his audience how to love a lady. In any case, this sounds really fantastic and musically driven. A very nice tune to listen to. This music sounds extremely fantastic. Worth your ears.

9. The Impossible Dream (The Quest) launches right into it with classical acoustic guitar sounds and Frank Sinatra’s voice in opposing channels. A really lovely, sweet and interesting piece of music that is deeply romantic, Frank Sinatra is on a music mission to impress the ladies out there. A sad, powerful and melancholy tune that sounds incredibly sweet, this is a monumentally awesome piece of music to hear. A really great piece of music that tackles the dark topic of suicide. Tragic and very sad in that respect. It is a great song, though.

10. You’re Gonna Hear From Me begins with some upbeat and gloriously sweet Jazzy instrumentation, and launches into a great song to conclude this short album with. Frank Sinatra sings humanely and wonderfully on all of these songs, and he sounds absolutely joyful on this piece of music. A really great and inspired listening experience, Frank Sinatra and friends make a genuinely great impression to hear. A very sweet and moving piece of music, Frank sounds totally joyous and full of optimism here. There is a neat instrumental break in the second half before this has a subtle key change and gradually reaches a conclusion. Very, very awesome musically to hear. Top.

Better than expected, this is a joyous and breezy album, for the most part. It is also an extremely consistent listen that does not even run for 30 minutes in length. The music is quality over quantity. Every single track is a top, solid gold winner, especially so of the title track. In any case, this is one of Frank Sinatra’s best music releases over his lifetime. Should you listen to this album? If you love Jazz based Crooner Music, go for it. Fans of more postmodern styles of music may not enjoy this album, however.

One of Sinatra’s best releases.

9/10