Greg Kerestan’s Reviews > Frank: The Voice > Status Update

Frank's career is in a downward spiral- no good material, separated from his wife, and in a self-destructive relationship with Ava Gardner. If you think Sinatra never recorded a bad song, look up "Dum Dot" or "Mama Will Bark."

The strike is over and Sinatra has returned to the recording studio triumphant, as his Columbia era begins.

World War 2 is in full swing, and Sinatra is dodging allegations of draft-dodging and mafia involvement in his career. Due to a recording strike, he is reduced to only recording material for the troops (the Columbia V-Discs) or with an a cappella group instead of a band. Now I must pause and listen to the Columbia V-Discs...

Frank has risen from obscurity through the ranks of Henry James and Tommy Dorsey- now he's got a solo career at Columbia. Kaplan's writing is masterful and feels more like a novel than a biography. Unfortunately, I have to pause here- I'm doing a complete listen-along with Frank's discography, and I'm finishing his Dorsey sessions before I move on to his Columbia era.

This book reads like an HBO period series in the best possible way.