Steve Tyrell - Songs of Sinatra (2005)

As its title indicate, this CD sees popular vocalist Steve Tyrell pay tribute to the Sinatra songbook, and pretty much every track is a famous nugget closely identified with the Chairman of the Board. That Tyrell is no Sinatra is a given, but the combination of his slightly hammy delivery and old-school arrangements makes this perfect bourbon and leather-armchair music--familiar and comfortable. Three of the songs ("Fly Me to the Moon," "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else" and "Something Stupid") reproduce the original orchestrations--and really, how can you go wrong with those?--while the others boast cushy new ones by Bob Mann, Alan Broadbent or Count Basie arranger Sammy Nestico. In his press notes, Tyrell remarks that "Nice and Easy" features "the most modern of all the arrangements on the album," but fear not: It sounds exactly like the others, and modernity here only means extra-velvety strings and super-relaxed horns. Echoing the pairing of Frank and Nancy Sinatra on the original, Tyrell sings "Something Stupid" with his daughter Lauryn, though she seems to be pushed behind in the mix and is barely audible. But hey, Frank didn't like sharing the spotlight either! --Elisabeth Vincentelli