Michael Bolton Album - Bolton Swings Sinatra

International superstar Michael Bolton has taken on another extraordinary challenge with Bolton Swings Sinatra (PASSION MUSIC CO./Concord Records). The collection finds him singing classics like "New York, New York," "Night and Day," "My Funny Valentine," "Fly Me to the Moon," "Girl From Ipanema" and "That’s Life," and bringing in special guest Nicollette Sheridan for a duet on "The Second Time Around."

"For years I’ve kept a list of dream projects," Bolton notes. "At the top of that list was an album of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra."

Supervising the arrangements and orchestrations down to the last note, he’s created an affectionate, dynamic tribute to some of the greatest recordings of the 20th century. The result will be a revelation even for longtime fans – passionate, playful, boisterous, intimate, and everything in between; Bolton Swings Sinatra is a dazzling pairing of singer and material.

Review - Amazon.com :

Rod Stewart greased the wheels, and now everybody's lining up for a ride. Bolton Swings Sinatra, like Barry Manilow's The Greatest Songs of the Fifties before it, is an obvious bid to snare some of the spotlight Stewart's expertly executed Great American Songbook series generated. A recap for those who have yet to crack the time capsule: The mood of these discs is forcibly retro (nobody shows up for a CD cover shoot without a suit jacket), the pulse romantic. So if the big-belting Bolton is not exactly a natural fit--here's an artist you wouldn't go out of your way to call suave, a major prerequisite for marching along in this recycled hit parade--he's not wholly out of his element, either. Bolton can swing Sinatra, sort of. Classics like "Fly Me To the Moon," "Summer Wind," and "I've Got You Under my Skin" sneak up on the listener and reveal a quiet reverance for the departed chairman of the board; only on "My Funny Valentine" does Bolton-esque over-singing threaten to spoil the brew. "The Second Time Around," a duet with Nicollette Sheridan, also doesn't overreach, landing on the ears like an open love letter. And the arrangements work consistently. Still, there are those who will roll their eyes and call this project too ambitious, too cheeky, and they may have a point. What next, they might reasonably ask: Richard Marx Rocks Elvis? Chris Botti Scales the Brill Building? --Tammy La Gorce

Customer review - 2006-06-08

- 1 star for the nice haircut on cover

"Great" musicians can accurately determine when to take artistic chances...the ones who are "great" and "smart" know what material to stay away from . Recording these Sinatra songs was a huge miscalculation for Bolton. He simply doesn't have the vocal chops or flair to extract the mood and feeling of these songs. While I was never a Bolton Fan, I did hear his pop records in the 80's...he sounded like he was in his league back then with his aching and annoying ballads....that sort of worked...this cd of Sinatra covers is just a "vanity project". It's not painfully unlistenable...it's just not very good..sorry

If you want to hear a really good (and underrated singer), check out the big band cd recorded by FrankStallone a few years ago...unlike this Bolton Bomb, it's full of great heartfelt singing .....an astonishing surprise !

Customer review - 2006-09-01

- Easy on The ears

This is a great collection of Sinatra standards and Bolton more than does them justice. They are light on the ers and easy on the soul. The arrangements while redone to match Michael Bolton closely follow the Sinatra originals. His duet with Nicollette Sheridan will become a classic in its own right. This is one of the best "Standards" cds out there.

Customer review - 2006-09-29

- Good try...

Let me just state that this project was not done because Michael wants to be Frank Sinatra. It was done because he wanted to do it. Bolton has no desire whatsoever to be bigger than Sinatra, which is what some of you idiots are insinuating. And to say he's "weak-voiced" (one of you morons did), is ridiculous. If you listen to "Time Love and Tenderness" or "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You," you'd realize how stupid of a statement that was.

Bolton did a fine job on the album. 4 stars. He isn't Frank Sinatra, he's Michael Bolton.

Customer review - 2006-06-17

- Bolton Snoozes Sinatra

This cd is a disastrous rendering of timeless classics into a stratospheric realm of insipid oblivion. Michael Bolton is not a musician. Completely devoid of any voice quality or sense of phrasing, The Chairman of the Boring weaves a tangled web of musical destruction with every note. Where Michael Bolton found the nerve to actually do this is something I will never fathom. Maybe it was the money, but I'm sorry, this goes beyond financial considerations. Mr. Bolton simply had no business making any attempt at Ol' Blue Eyes' songs. What we have here is a classic example of what could occur when massive ego is combined with infinitesimal talent. To sum it all up, this cd is a meadow muffin.

Customer review - 2006-06-16

- BOLTON BUTCHED THE SONGS OF SINATRA!

If I can choose something lower than one star I would. This is the worst piece of trash I have ever heard. He has butchered the songs of Sinatra. Classics should not be tampered with! His voice is so shrill it makes me cringe.
How this man has got to where he is makes me scratch my head. He simply can not sing. His voice gets under my skin.
Do yourself a favor and do not buy this CD, it contributes to noise pollution and continues a career of a man who simply can not sing. May Frank have mercy on you!

List of Michael Bolton albums

Michael Bolton Album - Bolton Swings Sinatra