Duets (Frank Sinatra album)
| Duets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by Frank Sinatra | ||||
| Released | November 2, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | June–July 1993 | |||
| Genre | Vocal jazz, traditional pop | |||
| Length | 45:44 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer |
Phil Ramone Hank Cattaneo |
|||
| Frank Sinatra chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
  |
| Robert Christgau | C |
Duets is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1993. Recorded near the end of Sinatra's career, it consists of electronically assembled duets between Sinatra and younger singers from various genres. The album was a commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard albums chart, reaching No. 5 in the UK, and selling over 3 million copies in the US. It is the only Sinatra album to date to achieve triple platinum certification.
The album received mixed critical notices, with complaints stemming from Sinatra's specified style of isolated performance wherein he was never joined by his duet partners in the studio, an artificial method of record production which lacked the elements of personal collaboration and spontaneity. The guest singers had been directed to sing along to his pre-recorded vocal parts, and to make their performances complement his.
The cover art displays a specially commissioned painting of Frank Sinatra by LeRoy Neiman. Its sequel, Duets II, was released the following year. Both albums were packaged together in a "90th Birthday Limited Collector's Edition" released in 2005; North American pressings add an unreleased duet recording of "My Way" with Willie Nelson, while international pressings have him singing with Luciano Pavarotti.
Sinatra was approached in 1992 with the idea of making an album of duets. Phil Ramone, Eliot Weisman and Don Rubin discussed the details at Sinatra's house in Palm Springs, California. For duet partners, Sinatra suggested Ella Fitzgerald but she was not well enough to participate. Other artists, younger than Sinatra, were put on the list of potential partners. Sinatra specified that the duet partners must not be in the studio when he was singing his part.
The project was pushed forward by Charles Koppelman, the CEO of EMI Records Group North America. An orchestra was rehearsed at Capitol Records Studio A in Los Angeles, where Sinatra had recorded many times, the orchestra using classic Nelson Riddle arrangements. Sinatra showed up for the first two days of intended tracking sessions but begged off laying down any vocals, the first day because he did not like being isolated in a vocal booth as intended by recording engineer Al Schmitt. On the second day Ramone, Schmitt and the studio staff had arranged a small stage for Sinatra to stand on next to the orchestra, to make the recording session feel more like a live performance, but Sinatra said his voice was not in optimal condition. At this point, about $350,000 had been spent to put the project together, and Ramone was worried the record would never be completed. On the third day, June 30, 1993, Sinatra appeared looking sharp and confident in a suit and tie, and he proceeded to record nine songs in five hours, beginning with "Come Fly With Me".
...
Wikipedia