Search - Various Artists :: Motown Celebrates Sinatra

Posed in Sinatra-style hat, overcoat, and tux under a streetlamp, a preteen Michael Jackson graces the cover of this compilation drawn from '60s and '70s sessions. Unfortunately, the hint of juvenile games of dress-up is echoed in most of the CD's tracks. Too often burdened by supperclub arrangements that deaden the artists' appeal, these covers of Frank-associated tunes demonstrate everything that was wrong with early Motown's pursuit of showbiz respectability. A few exceptions emerge from the sea of cutesiness (the Supremes' "Lady Is a Tramp") and turgidness (the Temptations' "Night and Day"), notably Marvin Gaye's righteous "One for My Baby" and Jr. Walker's gutbucket "Moonlight in Vermont." Otherwise, Motown Celebrates Sinatra is a party that only the most committed Hitsville fanatic will want to attend. --Rickey Wright