Personnel: Gayle Levant Richards (harp); Paula Hochhalter, Larry Corbett, Steve Richards (cello); Jeff Driskill (flute); Dan Higgins (clarinet); Earl Dumler (oboe); Michael O'Donovan (bassoon); Stephanie OKeefe, Rick Todd (French horn); Terry Wood, Carmen Twillie (background vocals).

Recording information: Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Passion Studio; Record Plant Studios, Hollywood, CA; Westlake Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Adult Contemporary singer Michael Bolton built his career singing passionate, sometimes theatrical soft-pop tunes that made him a superstar in the 1980s and '90s. By the turn of the 2000s, however, Bolton was changing his style, exploring various genres (including opera on '98's MY SECRET PASSION), and refining his vocal approach.

2006's BOLTON SWINGS SINATRA finds the singer taking on songs made famous by the Chairman of the Board, and doing so in a restrained, classy manner that may surprise folks who only remember the singer from his '90s hitmaking days. Bolton swings and croons competently on "Fly Me to the Moon" and "I've Got You Under My Skin," among others, and his surprising duet with Nicollette Sheridan on "The Second Time Around" weighs in as one of the highlights. While Sinatra fanatics may prove a hard sell on this one, BOLTON SWINGS SINATRA is a strong, admirable effort.

So it's come to this: a Bolton record taking a page from Rod Stewart's successful career reinterpreting the American classics, which really isn't something new because Bolton's been doing it his whole career -- Stewart just had a brief phase to cash in on an aging baby boomer market that used to think he was sexy. Nevertheless, this is a treat for Boltheads to savor: a 12-song tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes from one of the late 20th century's most successful adult crooners. It's a session of well-polished, by-the-numbers renditions of some of Frankie's most well-loved anthems, including a duet with fianc‚e/Desperate Housewife Nicolette Sheridan. Bolton doesn't break any new ground here, but his consistent vocal stylings are comforting and resonate just as well as they did nearly two decades ago, when his pop career launched him into the stratosphere. ~ Rob Theakston

JazzTimes (p.81) - "[F]irst-rate pop singing, pop timbre and pop feeling. To be frank, Bolton's fans will adore the results."