The singer Frank Sinatra called “the best in the business”
There’s hardly any reason for anyone to try and compete with what Frank Sinatra did.
Although there will always be room for nostalgia acts in the pop universe, no amount of crooners like Michael Buble will ever be able to hold a candle to the same voice that gave the world ‘My Way’. His voice was the epitome of musical taste and sophistication when he first began, but even he knew that he was far from the greatest vocalist in town whenever he worked among the other jazz greats.
Then again, what Sinatra did for pop music is so omnipresent now that it’s easy to miss. Not everyone is necessarily clamouring to do their version of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ or anything, but that kind of vocal precision is what really puts him over the edge. No one could deny the personality in his voice, and the kind of vocal presence that he commands every time he sings can still be heard in people like Adele today.
And let’s not forget what he did for the concept of the album. Before rock and roll was even a thing, Sinatra knew the days when music was still on a 45 and played only a handful of tunes on each side. There was bound to be more that people could do with the art form, and In the Wee Small Hours solidified what pop could be if it was treated with respect. It was still a collection of songs, but considering the heartache in every tune, you’d swear that Sinatra created the first concept album without knowing it.
But when it comes to his voice, part of the appeal is the kind of persona he brings across. Even if you didn’t see any footage of him singing a tune like ‘Strangers in the Night’ or ‘Theme From New York New York’, it’s easy to get a picture of the kind of person Sinatra was. Always with a clean suit on, belting his heart out to anyone within earshot, and normally with a glass of hard liquor in his other hand that somehow made every note go down easier.
Before there was Sinatra, though, Tony Bennett was already making waves as one of the finest jazz singers on the circuit. Both he and Sinatra had similar styles, but when listening to both of them side by side, even ‘Ol Blue Eyes’ had to admit that Bennett had the kind of voice that most people would kill to have.
Sure, Sinatra may be more identifiable, but he felt that there was no one else in show business that came close to Bennett, saying, “For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He’s the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more.” And that’s really the importance behind those kinds of singers. It’s not only about singing the words and notes accurately; it’s about understanding every emotion.
There might be a few egregious moments in pop history that Bennett is tied to, but even if ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’ didn’t deserve to take the Grammy over The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’, Bennett’s at least made it somewhat of a fair fight. Paul McCartney’s masterpiece was always going to be in for an uphill battle with the tastemakers of the world, but the pure emotion that Bennett has in his voice was always about tugging on that one extra heartstring.
And given how many rock artists eventually entered into his realm singing standards like Rod Stewart and Macca, it’s not like Bennett ever had to change with the times at all. Most people are lucky to catch on to a few trends along the way, but both Bennett and Sinatra knew that if they had the right songs and a half-decent delivery, they could certainly overtake any other trend that was coming their way.
