Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra rarely sounded happier than on Songs for Swingin' Lovers!, his 1956 Capitol classic, presented here on 180-gram vinyl.

His tenth studio album and fourth for the label arrived with his comeback in full flight, and it went on to become the first album ever to top the UK Albums Chart. Recorded at Capitol Studio A in Hollywood with producer Voyle Gilmore, it gathers fifteen songs from the Great American Songbook and gives them a confident, finger-snapping lift.

Nelson Riddle's arrangements do the heavy lifting with a light touch. Brass punches land exactly where they should, and the rhythm section swings with an easy, unhurried bounce. "You Make Me Feel So Young" opens with infectious joy, "Old Devil Moon" adds a hint of mystery, and "I've Got You Under My Skin" builds to its famous trombone-fuelled climax, one of the great arrangements of the era.

Sinatra's phrasing is the other star. He leans back on the beat, stretches a vowel for effect and makes every lyric sound like a private joke shared across a crowded room.

By the time "Anything Goes" rolls around, the point is clear: this is grown-up pop at its most graceful, and a cornerstone of any vocal jazz shelf.