Accompanying the 2013 Deluxe Edition reissue of Frank Sinatra's Duets is The Best of Duets, a 14-track compilation that rounds up highlights from that 1993 album and its 1994 sequel, adding his duet with Luciano Pavarotti on "My Way," a cut previously unreleased in the U.S.
(but available on various international editions of the first Duets).
As these two albums are cut from the same cloth -- they were assembled from the same long-distance sessions helmed by Phil Ramone -- they compile nicely, and this collection also benefits by emphasizing vocalists familiar with the Great American Songbook over pop/rock novelties.
To be sure, such attention-grabbers as Bono and Chrissie Hynde are here (the latter providing one of the liveliest cuts), but this focuses on Barbra Streisand, Luther Vandross, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, and Frank Sinatra, Jr, which does mean this music doesn't seem quite as desperate to please all demographics as it did on the original album.
Nothing changes how the Duets project remains a not-entirely essential coda to Sinatra's career, but anybody wanting to sample this swan song would do as well listening to this compilation as they would listening to the actual albums.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Come Fly With MeSammy Cahn, James Van Heusen | Frank Sinatra, Luis Miguel | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 2 | What Now My LoveGilbert Bécaud, Pierre Delanoë, Carl Sigman | Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | Come Rain or Come ShineHarold Arlen, Johnny Mercer | Frank Sinatra, Gloria Estefan | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | For Once in My LifeRonald Alonzo Miller, Orlando Murden | Frank Sinatra, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 5 | I've Got a Crush on YouGeorge Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 6 | The Lady Is a TrampLorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers | Frank Sinatra, Luther Vandross | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | Moonlight in VermontJohn Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf | Frank Sinatra, Charles Pollard, Linda Ronstadt | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | Embraceable YouGeorge Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Charles Pollard | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 9 | Luck Be a LadyFrank Loesser | Frank Sinatra, Chrissie Hynde | Play | 05:19 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 10 | I've Got You Under My SkinCole Porter | Frank Sinatra, Bono | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 11 | New York, New YorkFred Ebb, John Kander | Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 12 | My WayPaul Anka, Claude François, Jacques Revaux | Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 13 | My Kind Of Town (Chicago Is) | Frank Sinatra, Jr. | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 14 | All The Way; One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) | Frank Sinatra, Kenny G | Play | 06:05 | 13 MB | 29 MB |
| 53 mins | 122 MB | |||||
| 53 mins | 309 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Anka | Composer |
| 2 | Harold Arlen | Composer |
| 3 | Gilbert Bécaud | Composer |
| 4 | Tony Bennett | Primary Artist |
| 5 | John Blackburn | Composer |
| 6 | Bono | Primary Artist |
| 7 | Sammy Cahn | Composer |
| 8 | Pierre Delanoë | Composer |
| 9 | Céline Dion | Primary Artist |
| 10 | Fred Ebb | Composer |
| 11 | Gloria Estefan | Primary Artist |
| 12 | Claude François | Composer |
| 13 | Aretha Franklin | Primary Artist |
| 14 | Kenny G | Primary Artist |
| 15 | George Gershwin | Composer |
| 16 | Ira Gershwin | Composer |
| 17 | Lorenz Hart | Composer |
| 18 | James Van Heusen | Composer |
| 19 | Lena Horne | Primary Artist |
| 20 | Chrissie Hynde | Primary Artist |
| 21 | John Kander | Composer |
| 22 | Gladys Knight | Primary Artist |
| 23 | Frank Loesser | Composer |
| 24 | Johnny Mercer | Composer |
| 25 | Luis Miguel | Primary Artist |
| 26 | Ronald Alonzo Miller | Composer |
| 27 | Orlando Murden | Composer |
| 28 | Luciano Pavarotti | Primary Artist |
| 29 | Charles Pollard | Primary Artist |
| 30 | Cole Porter | Composer |
| 31 | Jacques Revaux | Composer |
| 32 | Richard Rodgers | Composer |
| 33 | Linda Ronstadt | Primary Artist |
| 34 | Carl Sigman | Composer |
| 35 | Frank Sinatra | Primary Artist |
| 36 | Frank Sinatra, Jr. | Primary Artist |
| 37 | Gregory Stone | Translation |
| 38 | Barbra Streisand | Primary Artist |
| 39 | Karl Suessdorf | Composer |
| 40 | Luther Vandross | Primary Artist |
| 41 | Patrick Williams | Conductor |
| 42 | Stevie Wonder | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |