This Is Sinatra!

This first collection of Sinatra's singles and B-sides with Nelson Riddle is also the best one. The album kicks off with the irrepressible "I've Got the World on a String" and features such essential tracks as "South of the Border," "The Gal That Got Away," "Learnin' the Blues," and the movie themes "Three Coins in a Fountain," "Young at Heart," and "The Tender Trap." "Rain" and "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" are dark ballads good enough to be on one of Sinatra's "wrist-slasher" LPs, and display a depth that many of his singles lack. The shimmering romantic ballad "My One and Only Love" is one of the few original Sinatra singles that instantly became a much-covered standard, though interestingly, the song isn't usually connected to him. However, this wouldn't be a Sinatra singles session if there weren't at least a couple of losers on the set, and "Love and Marriage" and "From Here to Eternity" are two well-sung numbers that don't deserve their continued popularity. This Is Sinatra! has been out of print for decades, but all of its tracks can be found on the excellent box set The Complete Capitol Singles Collection and various Capitol reissues. ~ Nick Dedina