Search - Nancy Sinatra :: Sugar

Still Hot in that Pink Bikini

G E. Learned | Brooklyn Center, MN USA | 04/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, I admit, when I first bought the LP, many years ago, I bought it for the cover. Funny thing was, after listening to the music, I really came to love that album. It's mostly standards from the 30's, but it has the duet with dad that is great. All these years later, when I saw it, I had to buy it in CD form just to recapture my youth...and this time, only partly for the cover."

Nancy's swing/jazz genre album

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 07/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After Nancy In London, there came Sugar, which really bucked the trend of her previous albums. Nancy Sinatra came up with a genre album, which, as the inner sleeve says, "sweet, soulful serenades from the old timey years." That includes 1930's swing and blues, which means lots and lots of brass.I picture Mae West singing some of these tunes, particularly "Hard Hearted Hannah." How hard is she? Well, according to Nancy, she's a misanthrope. "To tease them and thrill'em, to torture and kill them is her delight they all say." "And she's just as sweet as sour milk." Memo: stay away from Hard Hearted Hannah and put a bounty on that woman like my name was Jabba the Hutt."All By Myself" is a soothing balm after the loud brass emphasizing Hannah's cruelty. And "Oh! You Beautiful Doll" might as well be about her. Small wonder why "Great Big Beautiful Doll" was the title of the biography of Anna Nicole Smith, another luscious blonde."Coastin'" is a song about being cheery. Another upbeat song in that vein is "Mama Goes Where Papa Goes," where Mama makes sure Papa doesn't go astray. Mama seems to be a provider here, "a lovin' Mama who's got everything you need." And on that line, "a husband at home is worth a dozen out of sight"--well, I suppose "a bird in the hand" would've been predictable and cliched, huh?The old standard "Let's Fall In Love" is her own contribution to the love instead of war motto. Hey, if "even educated fleas do it," "Some Argentines without means do it, people say in boston even beans do it," why couldn't the military establishment that sent U.S. soldiers to Vietnam do what romantic sponges and even gooey jellyfish do? The punchline to the song turns the meaning of the song around."Sugar Town" and "Love Eyes" are the two songs closest to contemporary and are oddballs on this collection, but welcome oddballs, I might add. "Sugar Town" is her utopia song and one of my favorites. "If I had a million dollars or ten/I'd give it to you world and then/You'd go away and let me spent my life in sugar town." Neat idea of Lee Hazlewood rhyming Tennessee with Tallahassee. "Love Eyes" is a power ballad that again is one of her best."Button Up Your Overcoat" has the same loving provider theme as "Mama Goes Where Papa Goes." Nancy warns her dear one against bootleg hooch, meats, too much sweets, and to take all sorts of precautions."Something Stupid," which spent more weeks on #1 than any of her singles, is getting a boost from Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams's rendition of it from the Moulin Rouge movie. Which is better? I'm leaning towards the original.The cover of her in pink bikini and go-go boots is an added bonus to the music inside. However, why didn't someone airbrush the front cover? Yeesh! If she was still in her bad girl mode, she'd probably appear wearing just the boots.An alternative to the angry protest music to be sure. If I recall, this kind of swing came around during the Depression, when people wanted to forget their troubles. I suppose some people were depressed and fed up of having Vietnam on their TV sets day after day, but the difference between the Depression and Vietnam is, we couldn't help being in the first. The second, we should've dropped like a bad cold.After this breath of fresh air, Nancy would do yet another genre album. Hint: can you say two-stepping?"

Nancy's Sugar is her Barbra Streisand album

i. t. j. | 10/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Irving Berlin is to Nancy as Harold Arlen was to Barbra Streisand on her second album. She covers two Berlin songs and one Arlen song and I think she updates them well; Let's Fall In Love, What'll I do and All by Myself Nancy swings her way through these swing-era songs and I think its a perfect fit. I adore Beautiful Doll and I love Button Up Your Overcoat almost as much as I loved Annette Hanshaw's version! Of course there's the hits Sugar Town and Somethin' Stupid. I'm glad Nancy did this album-she may not have the powerhouse voice that Barbra has, but she's fun and sexy and gives these her all. Overall an excellent pop album!"