If it's tempting to pass this recording by because of its being Sinatra's last"contractual obligation" to Capitol or because of the assumption that Sinatra's old Columbia orchestrator, Axel Stordahl, was wanting in comparison to Nelson Riddle and Gorden Jenkins, dismiss the thought immediately. This is Sinatra at his very best--feeling, thinking every lyric; breathing, living every phrase--but also achieving an intimate relationship with his orchestrator that borders on the uncanny.Take"There Will Never Be Another You." After the first time through, the orchestra plays the melody to the final 8-bar section, building to a crescendo that the singer picks up on like a relay runner, taking it to an even higher level. Or"It's a Blue World" when, after the first pass, Stordahl daringly gives the melody to practically the entire orchestra, challenging the singer to match the orchestra's melodic statement in boldness and intensity. He uses the same device on the last 8 bars of"I'll See You Again," defying conventional wisdom about not duplicating the singer's melodic line. The point is that it works. As though sensing that he's not being provided with mere"settings," Sinatra rises to the occasion, responding to the orchestra's prodding voice as a Domingo might sing if paired with a Rene Fleming.The song selection is equally inspired, from the essential ("As Time Goes By") to the mistreated (Noel Coward's"I'll See You Again") to the fragile ("When the World Was Young"--given a time-capsule reading here). Only"A Million Dreams Ago" represents a falling-off from the standard maintained throughout the rest of the album. But more than atoning are the 4 extra song selections from an earlier Sinatra-Stordahl Capitol recording session. In fact, one of these performances, in particular, is all by itself worth the price of the album:"Day In-Day Out."No musical artist registers deeper and truer emotions on the theme of"obsession" than Sinatra. His many recorded versions of"Night and Day" range from swing to ballad, from orchestral strings to solo guitar accompaniment, yet each version registers the song's message of driving obsession more convincingly than the interpretations of any other performer. The same is true of Sinatra's different versions of"Day In-Day Out," but not only is the version here the most expressive of the lot: it's perhaps Sinatra's most artful, most soulful performance on record, more deeply felt, even, than"I'm a Fool to Want You."As for the voice on both dates, it's never sounded healthier, which is a good thing because Stordahl makes Sinatra sing his heart out.