Close to You and More

AMG Review of Close to You and More

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Close to You is one of Frank Sinatra's most gentle and intimate albums, and that is due in no small part to the Hollywood String Quartet, which forms the core of the album's instrumental support. It also was one of the most difficult to record, taking eight months and five different sessions. Certainly, it is one of the most unusual and special of Sinatra's albums, featuring a subdued and detailed performances that accentuate both the romantic longing and understated humor of the numbers, which are mainly torch songs. With the quartet's support, the album comes closer to sounding like a classical album, like a pop variation on chamber music. Where the intimacy of In the Wee Small Hours sounded confessional and heart-broken, Close to You has a delicate, lovely quality; it may not be seductive, but it is charming and romantic.