Often forgotten amongst Sinatra's concept albums, "Moonlight Sinatra" is definitely a lesser entry in Sinatra's catalog; though hardly a bad album, the concept isn't the most inspired (10 songs revolving around the moon), and Frank doesn't always sound invested in the material.
The album does start off strong. "Moonlight Becomes You" is a very fine start to the record. Lyrically, it sets the theme for the record perfectly, while Riddle's arrangement does a fine job of aurally capturing the briskness of a midsummer stroll through a moonlit night. Once again, Frank's phrasing and inflections are perfect and bring out the sentiment of the song properly. "Moon Song", however, is definitely one of the lesser songs on the album. It's a nice enough ballad, but it doesn't go anywhere interesting. "Moonlight Serenade" is the highpoint of the record, without question. Frank's vocals pour out like honey, sweetly and slowly, given each word affection and precision, and Riddle's swirling, hypnotic arrangement is one of his best. A perfect blend of song, vocalist and arranger. The goods continue with the following "Reaching For The Moon" is hauntingly sung and arranged ballad. Excellent dynamics throughout, both from Frank and the players. The instrumental break around 1:45 is quite eerie. Riddle's string arrangements so far have been a clear highlight; all of them go for a similar hypnotic sound but each with their own unique phrasing and textures. "I Wished On The Moon" sounds like a precursor to the Jobim album, a lovely bossa nova-tinged ballad. One of the slighter songs so far, but still quite lovely.
Things take an unfortunate turn with "Oh You Crazy Moon"; this song breaks pace with the rest of the album. It's a mid-tempo swinger with some nice horns, but overall this is probably the worst song on the album. It doesn't really carry itself anywhere interesting, and Frank gives an uncharacteristically neutral sounding vocal. "The Moon Got In My Eyes" is another one that's quite forgettable. At this point the record is developing a bit of a sameness, and even Frank's vocal have a bit of boredom to them. Riddle's arrangements are becoming more and more derivative, with the same sound and structure. The opening of "Moonlight Mood", with just Frank and the piano, is very nice, but the song quickly becomes just like the rest of the album. I used to wonder why this album was so underrated, now I can see why: it gets very derivative quite quickly.
The album does finish strongly however. "Moon Love" is very nice rendition of this song, the best song since "Moonlight Serenade." Frank's vocal builds up perfectly and captures the pleading tension in the lyrics, and Riddle's arrangements travels alongside it and matches it in terms of setting up drama and climaxing nicely. Closing is "The Moon Was Yellow (And The Night Was Young)"; Frank had previously recorded this song in 1961, with a bombastic operatic arrangement featuring one his very best vocals. This version is much more low key, but it's no less effective, and Frank's quiet, resigned vocal is arguably more emotionally effective than his belt-heavy Capitol heavy take. A good close to a somewhat inconsistent album.
"Moonlight Sinatra" is nowhere near as good as I remember it. While there are some clear highlights, the record has too much of a sameness in sound compared to Frank's other conceptual efforts. It's not bad, but it's not top shelf Sinatra, either.
