Frank Sinatra - She Shot Me Down

Day 4

Artist: Frank Sinatra
Album: She Shot Me Down
Label: Reprise Records
Year: 1981
Genre: Vocal Jazz/Traditional Pop

For fans of: Good music? How does one compare Frank Sinatra?
Ok, ok. For fans of: Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Michael Bublé

Frank Sinatra's second to last standard album and final album released by the label he founded - Reprise Records - is a fantastic reminder of why he became such a beloved icon of pop culture. Recorded at the age of 65, his voice isn't quite as pure and sweet as it was in his younger years; but the sound is unmistakably Frank. It wouldn't be too far off the mark to compare this album and 1984's L.A. Is My Lady to Johnny Cash's American Recordings with producer Rick Rubin (which brought the world the masterpiece that was his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt"). In fact, as with most of his career, this album finds him bringing his smooth vocal performance and soft string arrangements once again to many songs of others before him.

The obvious stand-out here is the track that gives the album its name, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", a song written by Sonny Bono for Cher in 1966 - Cher's first million selling single - and covered by Frank's daughter Nancy Sinatra the same year. Younger listeners will no doubt associate Nancy's version with Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill, but Frank's melancholic and symphonic take on the classic with appropriately tweaked lyrics is a far cry from the almost hurried and frantic nature of his daughter's (by comparison).

Other notable tracks include "Thanks for the Memory," a signature song for Bob Hope since his performance in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938 and a successful cover for countless other singers of the 1950's including Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald; and the album opener "Good Thing Going (Going Gone)" written by Stephen Sondheim for the at-the-time yet to debut Broadway musical Merrily We Roll Along.

This album is an incredibly solid release by a true entertainment icon of the 20th century. While met with critical praise, the era of crooners and traditional pop was far removed from 1981; and as such the album saw no commercial success. I highly encourage giving this one a listen for any fans of musical theater and the bygone era of jazz vocals.

Find it on:  Amazon Music  (Unlimited subscription required), Apple Music, Deezer, Google Play Music, Spotify, YouTube Music