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.

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