Movin' with Nancy

by Joe ViglioneSundazed released a 1996 CD version of the original Movin' With Nancy album, adding three bonus tracks to the 1968 soundtrack from her television special, and it earns high marks for documenting more of the fun and campy escapades of Frank Sinatra's daughter. Without the opportunity to surpass her dad the way Mira Sorvino or Charlie Sheen may have moved beyond Paul Sorvino and Martin Sheen in terms of popularity, Nancy Sinatra deserves credit for a sultry, hip image and the ability to hit a few home runs. It's easy to hit a home run, of course, when your father owns a piece of the record label, Reprise, and a Rodgers & Hammerstein composition makes its way onto track four, like "Younger Than Springtime," sung by "a very close relative." The uncredited Frank Sinatra performance is great, of course, and is followed by a Dean Martin/Nancy Sinatra "duet" on the Bobby Darin song "Things." It sure sounds like dad called up Martin and asked if he wouldn't mind Nancy overdubbing her voice on a pre-existing Martin track -- this was, of course, before the days of putting Natalie Cole on a Nat "King" Cole master. Despite the awkwardness of it, there is a certain charm that adds to the festivities. Make no mistake, this is a festive album. Heck, some kids go to the circus with their folks, Nancy Sinatra got to play at the record company. Her vocal style is on par with Claudine Longet and Jo Jo Laine, not the kind of singing to give Whitney Houston or Jackie DeShannon sleepless nights, but charming nonetheless. Where this Sinatra really shines is when she and producer Lee Hazlewood do the Sonny & Cher routine on the previous hit, "Jackson," and the real gem here, "Some Velvet Morning." When Nancy Sinatra has Hazlewood as her foil, she is outstanding. Though "Some Velvet Morning" was number nine out of her Top Ten hits as far as chart action goes, it is her strongest performance here, and proves she had more of a voice than maybe she even realized. She walks through Jimmy Webb's "Up, Up and Away," but it works, as does, surprisingly enough, the cover of Ray Charles' "What I'd Say," which closes the vinyl version of this project. Do the math: two hit singles, a duet with Dean Martin, an appearance by the Chairman of the Board (the legend, not the band), and superb production by Lee Hazlewood all make for a highly entertaining disc. Yes, she was lucky to have those doors open for her, but while other showbiz kids fell by the wayside, Movin' With Nancy delivered the goods. You can't help but like her.