Come Fly With Me

Frank Sinatra
1958

An excellently themed collection of travel-related songs, all given the trademark Sinatra treatment. The uptempo numbers swing nicely, particularly the specially commissioned title number, "Let's Get Away From It All" and "Brazil" (and also the extra-on-CD "I Love Paris"). Sinatra sounds more relaxed on these, whereas the lush ballads lilke "Around The World" or "Autumn In New York" are a little heavy on on the big strings and sound forced, although "London By Night" is lovely.

Oddly this is the opposite of what I found a year and a half ago, when I found the slower songs on In The Wee Small Hours more convincing that the faster songs on Songs For Swinging Lovers. Maybe this is to do with the arrangements, all by Billy May, whereas the other two were arranged by Nelson Riddle.

Still, it has to be said that this is Frank's golden period and none of the tracks dip below good, and Come Fly With Me is consistent with his other albums of the fifties in being superbly listenable. (It's also consistent with them in having terrible cover art.)