Let me begin this review by stating I had no idea what to expect from this CD when I received it. It certainly piqued my interest. SIN-ATRA is a tribute album of sorts to Frank Sinatra with songs interpreted or re-invented by various past and present hard rock and heavy metal icons. If you ever wondered what Sinatra would have sounded like if he had a backing band of hairy headed metal maniacs then this is quite possibly what might have transpired. Thankfully he didn’t and thankfully this “tribute” was done rather tastefully and shouldn’t offend Frank Sinatra purist too much. However I wouldn’t suggest you buy this and give a copy to your grandparents.
SIN-ATRA is basically “a new twist on the music of Frank Sinatra” featuring all of his hits sung by some of the most beloved voices of heavy metal and hard rock. Opening the CD is the song “New York, New York” sung by Devin Townsend. If you are a remotely familiar with Townsend then you can pretty safely imagine how his rendition sounds. If you are unfamiliar then just think of chaotically driven music with a maniacal singer singing. Other vocalists include Dee Snyder (Twisted Sister), Tim “Ripper” Owens, Geoff Tate (Queensryche), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Glenn Hughes, Joey Belladonna (Anthrax), Jani Lane (Warrant), Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Franky Perez (Scars on Broadway), Elias Soriano (Nonpoint) and dUg Pinnick (King’s X) who has a fantastic version of “I’ve Got the World on a String”. If this isn’t enough to get your interest then consider the music is written and performed by Bob Kulick (Kiss, Meatloaf) guitars, Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) on bass, Brett Chassen on drums, Doug Katsaros on keyboards, and a special appearance by guitarist Rickie Kotzen on “That’s Life”.
The ultimate question then is “Does this all work?” Is this unusual creation of “remade” Sinatra songs really as good as it sounds on paper? The answer is yes and no. Some of the songs really work and work well (i.e. “New York, New York”, “Fly Me To the Moon”, “Lady Is A Tramp”, “That’s Life” and a few others) and some just don’t work very well (i.e “Witchcraft”, “Stranger’s In the Night”, and “It Was A Good Year”). The reason the songs these songs don’t do well is due mainly to the way the song is remade. On “Witchcraft” Tim “Ripper” Owens’ voice doesn’t fit with the song, it’s almost like he is singing to a different tune that is played; Joey Belladonna sounds out of tune on “Stranger’s In the Night” and Dee Snider’s voice sounds strained on “It Was a Good Year”. Overall SIN-ATRA is a fun and unique record. I am sure those who love Frank Sinatra will want absolutely nothing to do with this album, but for those of us who can appreciate a good laugh and some good metal then this may appeal to them.
