CD Review: Nancy Sinatra – 'Nancy Sinatra'

Nancy Sinatra will forever be remembered as the pop songstress who made some great pop collaborations in the late 60’s with producer Lee Hazelwood and arranger Billy Strange. Songs like “Some Velvet Morning” and “These Boots Are Made for Walking” are recognizable classics of a time when pop music was unfortunately overcome by the Psychedelic era.

However, over time, cult status has brought some contemporaries who laud her as an iconic influence in the world of pop. “Nancy Sinatra” comes to us in the same way that Jack White brought Loretta Lynn back to the scene with “Van Lear Rose.” It’s a successful comeback that brings us to the days when pop music wasn’t over produced and overwritten, but full of sly, sultry and melancholy arrangements that make you want to pull out the old vinyl collection and dream you’re in the deep, dark studios of old.

While some comeback album failures are a dime a dozen, most of the album’s songs easily illustrate Nancy’s vocals as lively and full as when she wore knee-high skirts. Whether it’s the slow blues with Jon Spencer in “Aint no Easy Way”, the orchestral smoothness with Morrissey in “Let me Kiss You”, or the songs “Baby’s Coming Back to Me” and “Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time” penned by Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, Nancy makes an impressive comeback worth noting.