Album: The Voice of Frank Sinatra
Artist: Frank Sinatra
Year: 1946
Genre: Traditional Pop
Grade: A-
Frank Sinatra’s first studio LP was The Voice of Frank Sinatra, released in 1946 on Columbia Records. It topped the Billboard charts and made bobby-soxers swoon all over the U.S.A. To this day, it remains the most tender and romantic album that he ever cut.
Despite the music being marketed primarily toward teenage girls (a byproduct of Columbia capitalizing on the singer’s dashing good looks), Sinatra took the material very seriously. His utter conviction gave the songs deeper meaning, and his sincere interpretations were sung straight from the heart. Combined with unusually lush orchestrations that stood halfway between classical and jazz, Sinatra made sophisticated songs for the younger generation and revolutionized popular music in the process.
In a sense, The Voice of Frank Sinatra already foreshadows Sinatra’s later “concept” albums, with each ballad featuring a uniform theme of intimacy and passion. Despite the unvarying subject matter, Sinatra imbues each romantic lyric with a Romeo’s charm. Bing Crosby was for the adults, but Sinatra was for the kids; and even at this early juncture, he possessed a universal appeal and a laidback-yet-thoughtful style of crooning that forced listeners to hang on every note.
Even if it’s far from the Chairman of the Board’s best, The Voice of Frank Sinatra manages to leave an immediate impact. This is essential listening — the promising beginnings of the most iconic singer of the 20th century.