"You are the solo star," reads a legend on the cover of this LP, adding, "with big orchestral backgrounds by Nelson Riddle." The idea is that Riddle provides arrangements for pop songs like those he writes and conducts for such clients as Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra, and the listener is to take it from there. Of course, the singer is expected to supply both the lyrics and the melodies, which should give an idea of just how much those professional singers bring to their recordings. As mere listening experiences, many of these tracks are not actually recognizable as the songs listed on the LP jacket, but no doubt they would be if Sinatra was singing over them. Sometimes, Riddle uses a bit of the melody, but much of the time this remains background music that needs to be completed by someone else. It's a clever gimmick and a bit of joke, and it shows how far Riddle's treatments can stray from the lead sheets on occasion. But unless the buyer is standing by with the sheet music ready and a good voice to add on top, Sing a Song with Riddle an incomplete experience.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo