Julie Budd: Remembering… Mr. Sinatra

John Hoglund | September 30, 2015

Julie Budd

Remembering… Mr. Sinatra

(Emerald Music LLC)

September 28, 2014

Reviewed by John Hoglund for Cabaret Scenes

It’s been a long time since Julie Budd was Frank Sinatra’s special guest at Ceasars Palace in Vegas in the 1970s. But, considering that she’s been in the public eye since she was 12, including electrifying performances on television, in movies, theater and in more symphony concerts than Leonard Bernstein, the good news is that she’s still here – and still in pristine vocal shape. Too, she continues to work on world stages as an in-demand singer. In recent years, she’s made local appearances at Manhattan cabarets like the Metropolitan Room. She continues to release albums and make those personal appearances. She won’t go away. And…aren’t we the lucky ones for that.

Her latest CD offering is a loving salute to the man called, Remembering… Mr. Sinatra. It is a poignant homage to the iconic singer on the year of his centennial. Thrillingly arranged, this tasteful potpourri has no real obscure surprises and every cut is a winner. Sinatra’s trademark evergreens, like “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “The Best Is Yet to Come,” “I’m a Fool to Want You” and “All the Way,” show this sophisticated lady of song in a bright light. She makes the songs her own and her voice is remarkably intact after decades of singing. She sounds so much like she did when she would belt to the rafters through the airwaves on countless television appearances and concerts with remarkable diction and expressive phrasing. Then and now, her voice she is able to draw out notes with unerring smoothness as she harmonizes precisely with her band. It’s all arranged by the irrepressible Herb Bernstein, who has been on her musical journey from the beginning.

Another high spot is a trenchant medley that couldn’t be better. Seamlessly fusing “More Than You Know” with “The Very Thought of You” and a sweet segue into “The Nearness of You” makes for one of those rare moments that linger. This is a must-have for any Sinatra-phile.

Tags: All the Way, American Songbook, Broadway Musicals, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, Caesars Palace, Clubs, Composers, Emerald Music LLC, Frank Sinatra, Great American Songbook, Herb Bernstein, I’m a Fool to Want You, I’ve Got the World on a String, John Hoglund, Julie Budd, Las Vegas, Leonard Bernstein, lyricists, Metropolitan Room, More Than You Know, Musicals, Nightclubs, Popular Song, Remembering Mr. Sinatra, Revues, Show Tunes, Singers, Songbook, Standards, Supper Clubs, The Best is Yet to Come, The Nearness of You, The Very Thought of You, Venues, Vocalists