Search - Keely Smith :: Keely Sings Sinatra

Robert J. from VERO BEACH, FL
Reviewed on 10/22/2012...

I love Keely. Keely alone, Keely and Louis, Keely and Frank, whatever. And I particularly like the idea, apparently true, that she never had a singing lesson and can't read music. And that she's still alive in this year of grace 2012. Why oh why her Reprise recordings have never ever been reissued is for me an unfathomable mystery. Don't those people enjoy coining money? Most folks do in this day and age.

On this album Keely is as much at her peak as she ever has been. I haven't the slightest idea when these tracks were cut, but I listen very carefully indeed and there isn't the slightest diminution from her top form in the fifties and sixties, which I remember well.

Of course, at times, one can perceive that teeny tiny little edge of a fake southern accent she liked to affect now and then way back when. It's so bad it's cute. Yes, Keely was born in Virginia but you'd never really know it and when she pretends to sing southern it's a little like Ella Fitzgerald trying to sound Latin American.

Keely's an all-American treasure who will always remain so. I hope you agree, and I hope you have the pleasure of listening to this album too.

SPECTACULAR!!!

Gregory B. Mowery | New York, NY USA | 04/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was a bit young and so missed Keely Smith from her heyday has a Las Vegas singer. I really only knew her from her famous recording of "Old Black Magic," with her then husband, Louis Prima. A friend recently gave me a Capitol CD of her singing from the late 50s and I enjoyed her gorgeous voice and excellent style. So when I noticed she made a recording of songs in tribute to Frank Sinatra, I was curious. But calculating her age to be around 70 today, I thought "my, she's ambitious." I checked out the excellent reviews on Amazon.com and decided to take the plunge. I'm glad I did. This is the pop album of the year so far. Smith is in extraordinary form, singing out, never shying from top notes, displaying an still impressive breathing technique, and she swings as well as Ole Blue Eyes at his best. I spent the weekend playing the CD over and over again, even to enthusiastic dinner guests on Saturday night, who were as bowled over as I was. Smith establishes the cocky, confident and exciting Sinatra persona on the first track with a slowly insinuating "South of the Border." But you don't always have Sinatra in mind as she works her magic on "I've Got A Crush on You," "Night and Day," "I'll Never Smile Again," "Dream," "Angel Eyes," "New York, New York," "All The Way," "It Was A Very Good Year," "My Way," and others. My absolute favorite on the CD is an amazingly fresh and vibrant account of "I've Got You Under My Skin." Keely Smith is superbly backed by the Frank Capp Orchestra. Arrangements include several by the legendary Billy May. The packaging is superb. All I can say is GET THIS!!!We've seen a lot of comebacks of the great pop singers of yesterday--Rosemary Clooney, Barbara Cook, Jack Jones, Shirley Horne, Nina Simone, Vic Damone, and so many others. Until now, Cook has been the only singer who didn't have to make vocal concessions to her age, and is still singing superbly well in to her 70s. Keely Smith has got the chops of a 30-year-old. And if I can ever get to hear this lady live, I'm gonna be in the first row. Keely Smith can sing kids 40 years younger than her off the stage!"

Many Are Called, Few Are Keely!!

Leonard Fleisig | Here, there and everywhere | 11/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sinatra imitators are a dime a dozen. Every lounge lizard from Lexington to Las Vegas can ape Frank's mannerism and try to duplicate his unique and wonderful phrasing. But like a Time Square Rolex not much substance lies underneath those surface similarities. Rare is the singer that has enough substance and confidence in his or her own style to pay homage to one of the 20th century's great performers by giving new life and meaning to a collection of Frank's signature songs. Tony Bennett's Perfectly Frank is one. Keely Smith's Keely Sings Sinatra is another. She has not paid tribute to Sinatra here by attempting to be a mere Sinatra impersonator. Instead, she has paid homage but taking a compilation of Sinatra's most popular songs and invested it with her own skill, talent, and most of all her own influence and interpretation. Keely pays great tribute here because she does what Frank did so well, she puts all her talent and heart into a song.



Keely is a fine product of the Big Band era, one of the few still performing today. She may be best remembered for her classic work with Louis Prima. She was also a long standing friend of Sinatra's. By all accounts Sinatra was a big fan of Keely's and loved her work.



Each track on this CD is a gem. As one would expect, this CD is a compilation of songs that are all instantly recognizable as Sinatra `signature songs'. South of the Border, I've Got a Crush on You, Night and Day, and Angel Eyes highlight some of Sinatra's earlier `very good years'. These are followed by a very brief Happy Birthday tribute to Sinatra. (The CD was recorded on Frank's birthday while he was still alive but not released until well after his passing.) Next comes a selection of some of Frank's hits from his later `very good years' including : New York, New York, It Was a Very Good Year, and My Way.



It is on these later selections that Keely is at her finest. Those songs are not in my opinion, standing alone, great songs. They only achieved greatness (or great popularity) because Sinatra took them and made them unique. Generally, when I hear anyone attempt New York, New York, Very Good Year, or My Way, I simply cringe at the attempt. Much to my delight Keely does a great job with these songs. With It Was a Very Good Year she opts for a more upbeat tempo and changes the word I to `he'. This transforms the original song from a somewhat wistful recollection of her own life into something of a celebration of Sinatra's. On the other hand, Keely opts to take a bit of the anthem-like power out of My Way. Rather than a powerful and proud recitation it becomes more of a wistful reflection of Keely's own life. In essence, Keely has imbued each song with the original attribute of the other. It works wonderfully and made each song sound fresher than it has in years.



Lastly, a word for the background orchestra and the arrangers. The orchestrations, particularly the arrangements suited Keely's voice without drowning her in a wall of sound. They were reminiscent of Sinatra's old arrangements but were not slavish imitations. The studio musicians, in particular the Frankie Capp Orchestra fit Keely like a glove. Incredibly, Keely's voice has held up remarkably well over the years. If anything her voice sounds better now than it ever has.



This is a great CD. If you are a Sinatra fan or a Keely Smith fan, or just nostalgic for the Big Band days you won't be disappointed. If you are new to Keely Smith this is as good a place to start as any.

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