Review: Frank Sinatra's "Watertown" Album

Where would a Wedding DJ be without Sinatra? I've met a few people who don't care for him, but he's a pretty safe bet for getting all generations on the dance floor early in the evening. Most people are familiar with his Reprise era "hits" (Fly Me to the Moon, The Way You Look Tonight, The Best is Yet to Come, etc.), but the dude recorded TONS of albums. Watertown is considered by many to be his most unusual and unconventional album. It's my favorite. Recorded on Sinatra's Reprise label in 1970, Watertown is a concept album about a man in a small town who's life generally falls apart. The lyrics and Sinatra's delivery sound dark and vulnerable, not unlike a Leonard Cohen album or Johnny Cash's first American label recording. All of Frank's previous vocal recordings were cut live with his orchestra in the same room (must be nice), but Watertown was recorded with orchestra first and Frank's vocals were overdubbed a week or so later. This has a lot to do with the quality of his vocals on this album. He reportedly had a very difficult time with the overdubbing process, and he was also generally unhappy with the way he was singing around this time. I think that it actually made the album more powerful. His voice sounds so amazingly human. It sounds stripped down and raw. The arrangements are amazing. These songs don't swing. There are strange sounds and unusual instrumentation. This is simply a brilliant record. This is not music to throw on during dinner. It's an event that deserves to be listened to from start to finish. Not available on iTunes. Buy at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000006L4X/103-7176453-6681438?v=glance&n=5174