If there's one criticism about Sinatra I can't stand, it's those who write him off as a 'lounge singer' or a 'Vegas act'; his overall artistry and approach to singing and recording were far more sophisticated and advanced than the likes of say, Engelbert Humperdinck or Tom Jones. However, if the only Sinatra album you ever heard was "Some Nice Things I've Missed," you could be forgiven for thinking so.
At its worst, "Some Nice Things I've Missed" embodies everything wrong with Sinatra's post-1965 output: the song selection has a heavy reliance on covers of recent hit songs, the arrangements are heavy on bombast and light on musicality and dynamics, and the whole album just feels lazy and tossed off.
There were certainly some contemporary pop songs I would've liked to have heard Frank cover; "Sweet Caroline" and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" are not them. The versions here border on parodic, like something you'd hear in one of Bill Murray's 'Nick the Lounge Singer'' sketches than on an album from one of pop music's most influential and revolutionary vocalists. Even the newer material is largely tepid; the opening "You Turned My World Around" comes off as pedestrian despite a robust vocal from Frank, and the throwaway tracks "I'm Gonna Make It All the Way" and "Satisfy Me One More Time" really drive home the overall lack of quality control.
As with all Frank albums, there are few hidden gems that are worth your time. "The Summer Knows" is one of Frank's most haunting performances, making great use of his huskier, older voice, and it helps that it's a good song that fits Frank's style and sensibilities well. The same can be said for his surprisingly effective take on Bread's "If," a rare case of a then current hit song that Frank was able to connect to convincingly. I even enjoy his swingin' take on Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of Your Life," which at least has a nice, peppy energy to it and a good vocal from Frank.
The album's best cut, however, is its penultimate song, "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" While the lyrics are a bit corny, Frank's sincere, introspective delivery gives it much needed depth, and his vocals on the finale are incredibly powerful. It also features a great arrangement from Costa, with good dynamics, a nice build, and a quiet, touching finish. It's easily the highlight, and it really should've been the finishing cut. Unfortunately, that honor went to the worst of the album's covers, an atrocious take on "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" that pairs the grit of Jim Croce's lyrics with hilariously out of place 'go-go dancer' backing vocals and an amorphous horn arrangement.
At some point in Frank's career, he either lost interest or no longer had the ability to create albums like "In the Wee Small Hours" or "September of My Years." His records felt less like statements and more like obligations, with little to no cohesion or unifying sound or theme. "Some Nice Things I've Missed" is among the very worst of these, almost completely lacking in focus or effort. It's no wonder Frank couldn't be arsed to make another record for six years, because it really sounds like he didn't care.
