Matt
"Come Dance With Me" was Frank Sinatra's and Billy May's 2nd collaboration, recorded in December 1958 and released in 1959 on Capitol Records. This album picked up three Grammy awards, stayed in the charts for over two years and it was Frank's biggest. Included are some oldies from Frank's Columbia years "Saturday Night ( Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)", "Dancing In The Dark" and some new ones being the title "Come Dance With Me" and "The Last Dance" both written by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen who had also written the previous hit and album title for Frank "Come Fly With Me". Swing is the major ingredient in the album and all delivered with Frank Sinatra's relaxed singing approach and Billy May's great swing and kick within his arrangements with the usual mix of theatre songs, popular and standards all presented, arranged and sung beautifully.
Twelve songs included on the original album with the title "Come Dance With Me" being first and although the title is familar with the previous "Come Fly With Me" the song is quite different with not as much emphasis on the title in the chorus but plenty of swing which keeps coming in the next song written by Johnny Mercer being, "Something's Gotta Give" with Billy May's arrangement of the song bringing his orchestra right up front at times between Frank's fabulous vocals. More swing with "Just In Time' with the songs roll and swgger with an oldie following from Frank Sinatra's early years and given a much more modern approach being "Dancing In The Dark" from his previous recording at Columbia with the same being said for "Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)" from their original 1940's versions. There are a couple of songs that could only be considered classics from this period included with "Day In-Day Out" and the joy of flirting in "Cheek To Cheek" being an Irving Berlin composition with Johnny Mercer writing the first. Every song is pure swing, that is until we get to the last song recorded being a ballad written by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen and aptly named "The Last Dance" to finish off the album.
Good as their first one? Most defininately with the added bonus of a couple of less ballads being replaced with great bouncy swing tunes on this effort together for Frank Sinatra and Billy May. "Come Dance With Me" is quite a suitable title with the contents being just that. Essential Sinatra as all of his are with Billy May and his Orchestra.