Who is the female vocalist equivalent to Frank Sinatra (on his ballad albums)?*

Frank Sinatra might disagree (as do I). Here’s what he had to say about Sarah Vaughan, from a monologue during his engagement at the Sands with the Basie band in early 1966. (This from the CD in The Sinatra Treasures book…)

 

Interesting but I don’t consider his opinion when making my own.

I also think many of his opinions were way off on many subjects. But that’s for another thread!

 

I share his opinion.

 

This times 10. Of course Sinatra needed the territory of the LP to accomplish this, but he had the vision and determination to carry it off. This is why I so value LPs and the album CD (minus the bonus, noodling and 60 minute fillers). Classical composers also put their best efforts into the 30-45 minute extended composition such as symphonies and concertos.

Of all the names mentioned here Rosemary Clooney still seems to me the nearest general fit although other women singers exceeded her on this attribute or that.

 

Yes, I have spent time with many singing legends, and I did sit quietly as (for example) one singing legend said of another very famous singer that was paired with a legendary instrumentalist: "Beauty and the Beast!". The Beast part was the singer.

 

I don't want to derail the thread with my Julie London fetish particularly where there is an existing General Discussion thread. However, it is necessary with any artist to be careful judging original sonics from downloads or remastered CDs of uncertain and likely ugly provenance. The original Calendar Girl LP is not top audiophile but it is very good 50s mono. Incidentally Lonely Girl was second and Calendar Girl 3rd.

Julie was a vocal artist with nonpareil tonal purity and gifted phrasing but significant limitations with dynamic range. As for song length and arrangers, she sang the lyrics without extended intros, instrumental breaks and outros. On the few of her albums where there are intros and outros they don't really add much. She is mainly a mood singer who can cope with slow tempos by exceptional phrasing and inflection. But that cannot be easily extended.

 

Of course you do!

 

Mina.
She's the best italian female singer, you can't go wrong with her! She also sang in english and other languages as well. Check her out!

 

I don’t know why you’re making this so personal. You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, but all I did was share a Sinatra quote. I thought others might be interested in his opinion of Sarah Vaughan.

 

Whether we are talking male or female, singing ballads or swing, Sinatra is the one against which all others are compared. Who is jazzier and who is less jazzier? Who swings more and who less? Whose ballads are more moving and whose are less? Even Bing Crosby is now judged relative to Sinatra.

As to Sarah Vaughan Sinatra was critical of her in Life in 1965 but said that she had greatly improved. He was also critical of Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. Sinatra was, of course, talking about their technique and approach.

If we are talking about ballad singing the closest female singer to Sinatra when it comes to technique and breath control was Jo Stafford who served her apprenticeship with him in Tommy Dorsey's band.

Rosemary Clooney herself said many times that she was far closer to Bing Crosby. She knew when he would take a breath, when he would come in as well as how he would phrase. Of course they sang together many times over many years.

 

Here's one that comes immediately to mind. I never got inside the lyric of this one as much as a listener as I do on this version.



I'd add all those late career show stopping "Send in the Clowns," no one got more emotion out of or into that song, pretty much the entirely of the After Hours album I think are great inside versions of the songs with maybe the exception of "My Favorite Things." There's a version on there of "In a Sentimental Mood" where she sings the Manny Kurtz lyric, admittedly not a great lyric, and see absolutely brings it to life. I think she does the same thing on that album with the Mitchell Parrish lyric on "Sophisticated Lady."

Like I said in this thread, I think Sarah Vaughan had it all -- great story telling, unparalleled musical imagination and inventiveness, unparalleled stylistic and vocal range, great breath control and power. The one thing she didn't have was great mic technique (or any mic technique! Sometimes it seems like the mic is in her way!).

 

As for Sarah Vaughan, I consider her "Live in Japan " album nearly the equivalent of sinatra's Sands album.

One difference. Frank wasn't really funny, though he tried to be. Sassy was deliciously witty.

 

I'd add to some of the above list of Sarah Vaughan lyric reading numbers, the Live at Mr Kelly's version of "Poor Butterfly".... In fact, as good as she is with the choruses, I don't know if anyone quite read the verses of these songs like Vaughan did, like on that one.

 

Sarah Vaughan had all the attributes necessary to be a woman's Sinatra except temperament and stylistic control. Opinion is divided on her because of her mannered singing. While on individual songs and certain live performances she could be exceptional, her albums are inconsistent IMO.

 

In that article (LIFE, April 23, 1965, cover story: “Sinatra Opens Up”), Frank was much less critical of Sassy than Judy, Ella, Lena (and others):

Sounds to me like pretty high praise.

 

I love the "So Many Stars" clip. I still would put Sarah and Ella in the same category regarding interpreting lyrics. My opinion is just my opinion and means nothing, of course. Here's an example of someone who interprets a lyric with great sensitivity, in my opinion. I'm sure most will disagree:

 

Good gravy! I’ve never heard Jeri Southern before!

I just now ordered the two-fer You Better Go Now and also The Dream’s On Jeri. Thanks for the tip, David.

— (other) David

 

So is Frank the final word? I don’t think so. Should Tom Brady decide who the best woman athlete is?

 

I don’t know Sarah real well, but this absolutely slays me every time.

 

There is no one equivalent to Sinatra.

 

One of my favorite Sarah Vaughan sides - from 1944 or '45, I believe (21 years old if so). Sheer vocal power saturated in melody.

 

We're any of Sinatra's and Miss Vaughan's concerts together professionally recorded?

Can you imagine?

 

Mannish?

It's Vaughan.

 

People compare everything with everything. They will spend five minutes comparing potatoes from the same bin. And then they will get distracted by the potatoes in the next bin. As for singers, there are millions of words comparing all of them with each other. So many words that people get exhausted before they can write some words in simple praise.

 

Abbey Lincoln?