"Duets/Duets II 90th Birthday Limited Collector's Edition [Box] [Limited]" (11/22/2005) Pop Vocal Sinatra, Frank, Capitol/EMI RecordsDUETS AND DUETS II contains a one-hour bonus CD, "Frank Sinatra Duets/The Radio Special." Personnel includes: Frank Sinatra, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Charles Aznavour, Carly Simon, Liza Minnelli, Anita Baker, Bono, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Luis Miguel, Patti Labelle, Jon Secada, Linda Ronstadt, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chrissie Hynde, Willie Nelson, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, Lena Horne, Jimmy Buffett, Lorrie Morgan, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Neil Diamond (vocals); Kenny G (soprano saxophone). Personnel: Paul Viapiano, Ron Anthony (guitar); Michael Melvoin (piano); Chuck Berghofer, Dave Stone (bass instrument); Gregg Field, Jeff Hamilton (drums); Chrissie Hynde, Eydie Gorme, Gloria Estefan, Jimmy Buffett, Jon Secada, Kenny G, Lena Horne, Liza Minnelli, Lorrie Morgan, Luis Miguel, Luther Vandross, Neil Diamond, Patti LaBelle, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Julio Iglesias, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Barbra Streisand, Bono , Wille Nelson, Carly Simon, Charles Aznavour. During the 1970s and '80s, Frank Sinatra was so disheartened by the state of pop music and by the deterioration of his voice that he kept canceling album projects and recording sessions. This is a real shame because much of his best material from this same period has turned out to be from the very sessions that he quickly abandoned. This continued on until the early '90s, when Sinatra's wife Barbara persuaded him to record these two duets albums. She wanted to get him energized about his career again and she wanted to have a piece of his recorded legacy to call her own (royalties from Sinatra's Capitol Recordings go to charity, royalties from his Reprise recordings go to his children, while the ones from both of these duets albums mainly go to Barbara). Both of these albums were huge successes and have actually outsold most of his original releases. The only problem is that they shouldn't have been made in the first place. While neither disc is terrible, they are pretty bad when held against most of Sinatra's considerable back catalog. This matter only gets worse when all of the songs heard here are famous Sinatra standards done in the same tempos that everybody knows. So, not only is the 78-year-old Sinatra competing against his younger self, he's also competing against the exact versions of songs that he cut in his prime. This two-disc set is really aimed as a gift purchase during the holidays. If you really want to pick up some Frank Sinatra you'd be better served by getting a two-disc overview of his Capitol or Reprise years than this set. ~ Nick Dedina Capitol repackaged and re-released Frank Sinatra's Duets/Duets II as a slipcased box set to coincide with the singer's 90th birthday. It's not a bad way to acquire the albums if you don't already own them, and it does include one bonus track "My Way" with Willie Nelson, making this version of marginal interest to hardcore collectors. ~ Al Campbell
