Frank Sinatra Nice 'N' Easy

Frank Sinatra had established Billy May as his upbeat, swingin’ brass arranger and Gordon Jenkins as his downcast ballad man—and Nelson Riddle occupied the much-needed free space. Riddle’s work on 1960’s Nice ’N’ Easy features neither over-the-top machismo nor down-and-out maudlin hopelessness. Instead, there’s a mature, romantic glow to the slow measures of “Fools Rush In” that expands to a brilliantly calibrated climax. The title track flows with well-being and confidence. It replaced Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You,” since it better reflected the album’s overall tone. “Nearness” became the album’s trailing single and is now one of four bonus tracks.