Betsyann Faiella - Can I Be Frank? (2001)

Tribute albums to Frank Sinatra continue to proliferate. Here the title of Betsyann Faiella's entry is a question that is quite easy to answer. Can she be Frank? No. But can she sing songs that Sinatra sang? Absolutely, and she sings them very well. Faiella avoids the temptation many singers succumb too, over emoting. She takes a direct and relaxed approach to the music. While she includes some material that are automatically associated with Sinatra, refreshingly, there are some that Frank sang but were not exclusively his property and lesser known tunes like "No One Ever Tells You" and "Here Goes." There's a good sampling of Sinatra classics, including a nicely paced "I've Got You Under My skin" and "All the Way" with a Latin beat and a couple of surprises in the way the lyrics are delivered. There's a strong and varied group of musicians in the studio with Faiella. Don Shelton's tenor provides a mellow background on "All My Tomorrows," as well as an even mellower, and very pretty, solo. The one constant is Shelly Markham's piano, which makes important contributions to the success of the session. One of the favored tracks is "Only the Lonely" which Faiella does with just Markham's piano. Markham is also responsible for the fine arrangements which do not mimic those Sinatra used by any means. She has adequate range, good diction, and excellent phrasing. She's equally at home with the ballad and on the faster paced material. Irrespective of the tempo, her voice has a special brightness to it that makes it very appealing. But most of all, she sings in tune and has a very pretty voice, an unbeatable combination. Recommended. ~Dave Nathan