Though
Frank D'Rone must have appreciated the critical comparisons to
Frank Sinatra, his 1960 Mercury LP
After the Ball sounds more like the work of
Bobby Darin, the deep crooner with the angelic face then making waves with his nightclub act and live record, Darin at the Copa.
D'Rone, a former guitarist, also bears the mark of
Mel Tormé (a true musician's singer), shaping his notes to fit the mood and constantly making conscious decisions to twist a well-worn standard into a new thing. Though singers like him and
Darin represented the new face of swinging pop,
D'Rone explores deep into the past for these songs; the title track alone was over 60 years old (though taken at a tempo poor Chas K. Harris never would have envisioned), and "My Melancholy Baby" was of a similar vintage. Thanks to the sparkling arrangements of the ever-inventive
Billy May,
After the Ball has all the spark and fire of the ring-a-ding-ding '60s. Though
D'Rone never found commercial success like
Darin, the record held up well. ~ John Bush