''Let's Be Frank'' is the fourteenth studio album by American
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
artist
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...
. It was first released through
Williams Sonoma
Williams Sonoma is an American retailer of cookware, appliances, and home furnishings. It is owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and was founded by Charles E. (Chuck) Williams in 1956.
History
In 1947, Chuck Williams settled in Sonoma, California ...
stores on December 20, 2018 and was widely released on February 14, 2019 via Gwendolyn Records. The project was
produced by
Don Was
Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced s ...
and arranged by Vincent Mendoza. The album pays tribute to
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
, whom Yearwood had always admired. It was a record that Yearwood had always wanted to create but never got around to doing so. ''Let's Be Frank'' includes covers of songs notably performed by Sinatra and also features one original composition.
Background and production
According to Yearwood, she had always wanted to record album of
traditional pop
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...
songs. She was originally approached by producer
Don Was
Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced s ...
following her televised performance at
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
's 2015 "100th Birthday" tribute.
The album was recorded in summer 2018 in four days at the
Capitol Records Building
The Capitol Records Building, also known as the Capitol Records Tower, is a 13-story tower building in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Designed by Louis Naidorf of Welton Becket Associates, it is one of the city's landmarks. Construction began soon after ...
in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
. She performed the tracks with Sinatra's original microphone and was accompanied by a 55-piece orchestra.
''Let's Be Frank'' was arranged by
Vincent Mendoza. Yearwood called the collaboration with Mendoza something she "couldn't be more proud of". She also noted his previous work with
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...
,
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
and
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
.
Yearwood drew inspiration for ''Let's Be Frank'' from her childhood. In an interview with ''
iHeart Radio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbrella brand for iHear ...
'', Yearwood explained that her mother was fond of
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
and for that reason, she "grew up" listening to him.
She also mentioned that many of the songs Sinatra recorded were covered by other artists. These songs also appeared in films and television shows that she watched as a young child.
Content
According to Yearwood, the material for ''Let's Be Frank'' originated from the
Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes.
Definition
According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" is ...
catalog. While many of these songs had been recorded by
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
, their original versions by other artists may be more memorable.
Two notable recordings she covered by Sinatra included "
Come Fly with Me" and "
One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)
"One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is a hit song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the movie musical '' The Sky's the Limit'' (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire.
Background
Harold Arlen described the so ...
".
Yearwood also noted that "Come Fly with Me" was one of the most challenging songs to record because of its rhythm. The track "
I'll Be Seeing You" was an especially emotional song to sing, according to Yearwood. She commented in 2019 that the song made her think of her mother, Gwen.
The track "For the Last Time" originally was a line that Yearwood had thought of. Her husband
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
assisted by composing a melody to accompany her idea.
It is the only original composition to appear on the album. Yearwood commented in 2019 that she not want the song to appear on ''Let's Be Frank'' because she feared it would disrespect the music of Sinatra.
She was encouraged to play the song to her producer Don Was. Was enjoyed the song and arranged for the track to be recorded for the project.
Critical reception
''Let's Be Frank'' received critical acclaim upon its major release to stores.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
called the album not exactly "the kind of comeback most observers would've expected from Trisha Yearwood." Erlewine went on to call the record a "well-balanced songbook" that included diverse arrangements and song choices. Kevin John Coyne of ''Country Universe'' gave ''Let's Be Frank'' four of five possible stars in his review. Coyne highlighted tracks such as "
One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)
"One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is a hit song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the movie musical '' The Sky's the Limit'' (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire.
Background
Harold Arlen described the so ...
" and "For the Last Time". He also compared Yearwood's song selection to that of
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...
and
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
. Coyne later concluded his review of the album by saying, "''Let's Be Frank'' is a delightful detour, and while it doesn't curb the hunger for more country music from the greatest female artist of the greatest generation of female artists, it is chock full of reminders of how she earned that distinction in the first place."
Commercial performance
''Let's Be Frank'' was first issued on December 20, 2018 exclusively through
Williams-Sonoma
Williams Sonoma is an American retailer of cookware, appliances, and home furnishings. It is owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and was founded by Chuck Williams (author), Charles E. (Chuck) Williams in 1956.
History
In 1947, Chuck Williams settl ...
retailers. It was officially released to all major retailers on February 14, 2019. Both of these releases were distributed through Gwendolyn Records.
Upon its initial release, the album would peak at number 2 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Jazz Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart and number 7 on the ''Billboard''
Top Independent Albums
The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by ''Billboard'' magaz ...
chart. ''Let's Be Frank'' marked Yearwood's first solo album since 2007's ''
Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love'' and first to chart as well.
Yearwood made numerous promotional appearances to support the album. She made her first appearance when launching songs off the album at the
Rainbow Room
The Rainbow Room is a private event space on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Tishman Speyer, it is among the highest venues in New York City. The Rainbow Room serves clas ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
This included a performance of "For the First Time" on ''
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...
'' in early 2019.
Track listing
Personnel
All credits are adapted from
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
.
Musical personnel
* Trisha Yearwood – vocals
*
Alan Pasqua
Alan Pasqua (born June 28, 1952) is an American rock and jazz pianist. He studied at Indiana University and the New England Conservatory of Music. His album ''Standards'' with drummer Peter Erskine was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008. As a ...
– grand piano
*
Chuck Berghofer
Charles Curtis Berghofer (born June 14, 1937), professionally known as Chuck Berghofer, is an American jazz double bassist and electric bassist, who has worked as a studio musician and in the film industry for more than 60 years, including workin ...
– bass
*
Peter Erskine
Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead.
Early life and education
Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the drum ...
– drums
*
Vince Mendoza
Vince Mendoza (born November 17, 1961) is an American composer, music arranger and conductor, and six-time Grammy Award winner. He debuted as a solo artist in 1989, and is known for his work conducting the Metropole Orkest and WDR Big Band Kö ...
– arrangements and conductor
* Bruce Dukov – concertmaster
Brass and Woodwinds
* Gene Cipriano –
tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...
* Rose Coorigan –
bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
* Jeff Driskill –
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
,
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
, tenor saxophone
*
Dan Higgins
Dan Higgins (born January 28, 1957 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American saxophone and woodwind player. He has worked with such artists as John Williams, Seth MacFarlane, Aerosmith, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Al Jarreau, Maroon 5, Kenny Loggin ...
– clarinet, flute,
alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...
* Greg Huckins – clarinet, flute, alto saxophone,
baritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...
* Damian Montano – bassoon
* Adam Schroeder –
bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...
, baritone saxophone
*
Bob Sheppard
Robert Leo Sheppard (October 20, 1910 – July 11, 2010) was the long-time public address announcer for numerous New York area college and professional sports teams, in particular the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (1951–2007), a ...
– clarinet,
alto flute
The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, the second-highest member below the standard C flute after the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the ...
, tenor saxophone
* Lara Wickes –
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
A ...
* Ryan Dragon –
trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...
,
tenor trombone
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is widel ...
* Julianne Gralle – trombone
* Andrew Martin –
bass trombone
The bass trombone (german: Bassposaune, it, trombone basso) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to ...
*
Bob McChesney
Bob McChesney is an LA based jazz and studio trombonist, famous for his use and mastery of the 'doodle - tongue,' a method of articulation on the trombone as well as his ultra fast and melodic solos. He currently teaches in the music department ...
– trombone
* Charlie Morillas – tenor trombone
*
Wayne Bergeron
Wayne Bergeron (born January 16, 1958) is an American jazz trumpeter.
Bergeron rose to prominence as a member of Maynard Ferguson's band in the 1980s. Since then, he has worked on over 400 TV and motion picture soundtracks. As a lead and studio ...
–
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
* Gary Grant – trumpet
* Larry Hall – trumpet
* Michael Rocha – trumpet
* Bob Schaer – trumpet
*
Jim Self
James Martin Self (born August 20, 1943) is an American tubist and composer from Los Angeles. Self has performed extensively in Los Angeles and internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral tubist, and, most notably, as a studio mus ...
–
tuba
The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...
* Annie Bosler –
French horn
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...
* Laura Brenes – French horn
* Dylan Hart – French horn
String Section
* Jacob Braun, Stephen Erdody, Ross Gasworth, Dennis Karmazyn, Michael Kaufman, Armen Ksajikian, Laszlo Mezo, Cecilla Tsan and Charles Tyler –
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
* Ed Beares and Milke Valerio –
contrabass
Contrabass (from it, contrabbasso) refers to several musical instruments of very low pitch—generally one octave below bass register instruments. While the term most commonly refers to the double bass (which is the bass instrument in the orchest ...
* Marcia Dickstein –
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...
* Rob Brophy, Zach Dellinger, Brian Dembrow, Andrew Duckles, Alma Fernandez, Shawn Mann, Luke Maurer and Darrin McCann –
viola
The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...
*
Armen Anassian
Armen Anassian holds master's degrees in Instrumental Conducting and Violin Performance, and studied in the United States, Armenia, and Germany. His teachers include Rainer Kussmaul, Sidney Weiss, Dorothy DeLay, and conductor Michael Zearott. Mr. ...
,
Charlie Bisharat
Charlie Bisharat is an American violinist known as a member of Shadowfax and for his work in film and with other New Age Jazz artists. He was born in Inglewood, CA in 1963 to parents who immigrated to the United States from Palestine in the 1950 ...
,
Roberto Cani
Roberto Salvatore Cani (born 17 October 1967) is an Italian violinist.
Roberto Cani was a prizewinner in the Paganini (Genoa, 1990), Jeunesses Musicales (Belgrade, 1991), and Courcillon (France, 1991) International Competitions.
He also won hono ...
, David Ewart, Pam Gates, Julie Gigante, Jessica E. Gudieri, Tamara Hatwan, Ana Landauer, Songa Lee, Natalie Leggett, Phillip Levy, Lisa Liu, Helen Nightengale, Grace Oh, Carol Pool, Irina Voloshina, Amy Wickman and Leah Zeger –
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
Production
* Don Was – producer
* Jeff Fitzpatrick – engineer
* Steve Genewick – engineer
*
Al Schmitt
Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...
– engineer, mixing
* Eric Boulanger – mastering
* Ivy Skoff – production coordinator
* Rachel Jones – production assistant
* Jo Ann Kane – music copyist
* Josef Zimmerman – music librarian
* Russ Harrington – photography
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2018 albums
Albums produced by Don Was
Trisha Yearwood albums
Jazz albums by American artists