Austin Lindy Hop
|
Austin Lindy Hop
|
|
|
Frank Sinatra: Songs for Swingin' Lovers(Columbia 1956)
"Songs for Swingin' Lovers" features a great array of re-recorded standards from the swing era; most if not all the songs were originally recorded 10-20 years prior to the date of this recording. But the Hi-Fi recording and the spunk of Nelson Riddle's orchestra breathed new life into these hits, leading some music critics to label this album as arguably Sinatra's best set of swing music. Sinatra really is at his peak on this album, singing confidently and enjoying every minute of it. The
songs on this album also favor more moderate to slower tempos under 130 beats
per minute (BPM): "You Make Me Feel So Young" 129, "It Happened
In Monterey" 121, "You Brought a New Kind of Love" 108, "Too
Marvelous for Words" 129, Love Is Here to Stay" 110, "I've Got
You Under My Skin" 128, "Anything Goes" 125, "How About
You?" 118. But this tempo range was where Sinatra smooth-crooning
voice was at its best, relaxed and confident. The moderate tempos also
make the songs more romantic for dancing. It's nice to have a romantic
touch to your dancing every once in a while. |
|
This week's
recommendation steps back to some "old school" Lindy Hop music with
some rat-pack schmaltz that might make some hard-core Lindy Hoppers sneer.
Although some hard-core Lindy Hoppers diss Sinatra as being too
"schmaltzy" for "real" Lindy Hop, Sinatra was one of the
most significant pop icons of the 20th Century, and was the preeminent
"singer-front" for a band. Admittedly, he did not know how to
read music, could not play an instrument, could not lead a band, himself, and
was just as much an entertainer as a singer; but his ability to sing like no
other singer (arguably making him the greatest pop singer, ever) and to sell
records allowed him to record more prolifically than almost any other
individual, leaving a wealth of great Big Band Swing music, no matter how many
sappy, "Wee Small Hours of the Morning" songs he also sang.