Review
In the hallowed halls of mid-20th-century music, Frank Sinatra's "Days Of Wine And Roses, Moon River And Other Academy Award Winners" emerges like an exquisite reliquary of Hollywood's golden anthems. It is no minor feat; produced by the deft and accomplished Sonny Burke, and expertly decorated by Nelson Riddle's talented baton and enchanting arrangements, this album dignifies and adorns the pantheon of classic American standards. Through each note, Sinatra's voice, suave as a fine silk, delivers narratives imbued with unparalleled interpretive prowess, rendering anew these nuggets of cinema history.
Assuredly, each track offers a distilled celebration of iconic award-winning songs—"The Way You Look Tonight," "Moon River," "All the Way," among others dance from the grooves of this vinyl masterpiece. Sinatra's performance, with the drama and gravity of a Shakespearean soliloquy, captures the human condition as effortlessly as an eagle commands the skies. Riddle, as if conjuring Alcinous’ legendary palace orchestra, envelops Sinatra’s vocals with lush orchestral finery, thus borrowing emotional depth from the ineffable soul of music itself. Each selection, once a piece of celluloid legacy, now becomes timeless through the Sinatra-Riddle mirabilis.
Verily, lauds and critical murmurs aside, “Days Of Wine And Roses, Moon River And Other Academy Award Winners" stands as a dignified toast to masterful songwriting of days past and serves as an oracular missive for auditory old souls. Bask in its lasting sophistication and wonder, as one would in sipping a finely aged Barolo by candlelight—a decadent nod to an era resplendent in its melodic sophistication. This collection is destined to hover in the auditory aether, a staple for anyone enamored with the transcendent artistry of traditional pop and jazz vocals of Sinatra's league. - Ignatius
