Writer–broadcaster Ross Porter reviews James Kaplan’s Frank: The Voice (Toronto: Doubleday, 2010) in today’s Globe and Mail. Below is an excerpt from both the review and the book:

It was also while working with Dorsey that he developed an approach to singing that he continued for the rest of his career. He would take a piece of paper with just the lyric to a song, with no music. As Sinatra explained, “At that point I’m looking at a poem. I’m trying to understand the point of view of the person behind the words. I want to understand his emotions. Then I start speaking, not singing the words, so I can experiment and get the right inflections. When I get with the orchestra, I sing the words without a microphone at first, so I can adjust the way I’ve been practicing to the arrangement. I’m looking to fit the emotion behind the song that I’ve come up with to the music. Then it all comes together. You sing the song.”