Various Artists
SIN-atra
Armoury Records
Ready for some metal versions of Frank Sinatra classics? Glenn Hughes, Devin Townsend, Ripper Owens, and Dee Snider are among the 12 notable artists lending their vocal talents to songs like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “New York, New York,” “Witchcraft,” and “It Was a Very Good Year.” Unfortunately, some stellar vocal performances and righteous guitar and bass riffery by Bob Kulick, Richie Kotzen, and Billy Sheehan end up falling flat due to the project’s humor-bent focus and the use of keyboards. I get the dilemma—you can’t just delete Nelson Riddle horn lines and string swells from something paying tribute to Sinatra. Regardless, the keyboard tones simply kill this otherwise brave mashup, grating on your skull much like the brass-mocking keyboard in Europe’s “The Final Countdown.” Too bad. Some moments of legit darkness that breathe interesting new life into these charts get overshadowed by all the cheese.