There's nothing especially wrong with "Come Swing with Me," Frank's second to last album for Capitol Records, except that is terribly boring for the majority of it. By this point, Frank was fully invested in his work at his own Reprise label, and saw his remaining Capitol releases as mere obligations as opposed to legit artistic endeavors, and "Come Swing with Me" sounds exactly like that.
Ostensibly, "Come Swing with Me!" is a concept album in the same vein as "Come Fly with Me" and "Come Dance with Me!." Unlike those albums, "Come Swing with Me!" doesn't really adhere to its theme at all, as Frank doesn't swing through these tracks so much as leisurely strolls, with almost none of the songs possessing the zesty, buoyant energy of "A Swingin' Affair," "Come Dance with Me!," and his other records built around a more uptempo vibe. Some songs are downright languid, such as his dull, anemic takes on "Sentimental Journey" and even "That Old Black Magic," the latter a song I so wish Frank had made his own at some point. Part of the blame lies with Billy May, who was Frank's go-to arranger for his uptempo material and usually excelled, but here largely throws together pleasant but uncreative charts that seem tailor made to Frank's own lack of enthusiasm.
It doesn't help that most of the songs aren't exactly the most elite selections in the Great American Songbook; "Five Minutes More" and "American Beauty Rose" aren't exactly "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "I've Got You Under My Skin" either lyrically or musically, and it's clear from Frank's 'waiting for a bus' delivery' that he doesn't really care for them, either.
All that said, "Come Swing with Me" does have some nice moments where Frank comes alive. "Day by Day" is a charming, hard hitting opener with Frank hitting one of his best high notes at the end, as well as generally sounding engaged throughout. "Almost Like Being in Love" is the one track that actually lives up to the title of the album, kicking your ass with drums and horns right from the beginning and swinging hard and fast from start to finish. Frank sounds great here and May compliments him with a blissful arrangement, easily the highlight of the record. "On the Sunny Side of the Street" is appropriately relaxed and has a nice bounce through it as well as some of Frank's more creative phrasing on the record. "Don't Take Your Love from Me" is a sparkling, mid-tempo take on a great torch song, one Frank clearly enjoys singing and does a much better job on then the funereal "Sinatra and Strings" version. Finally, "I've Heard that Song Before" is a very good closer, thankfully ending it on a high note.
"Come Swing with Me" definitely ranks towards the bottom of Frank's overall output, and is pretty easily the worst of his Capitol albums. It's not terrible, but it's clear Frank would not have made the record if he didn't have to, and his lack of enthusiasm is unusually on display for what is still considered to be his prime.
