Let's Be Frank is the thirteenth studio album by American country artist Trisha Yearwood. It was first released through Williams Sonoma stores on December 20, 2018 and was widely released on February 14, 2019 via Gwendolyn Records. The project was produced by Don Was and arranged by Vincent Mendoza. The album pays tribute to Frank Sinatra, whom Yearwood had always admired. It was a record that Yearwood had always wanted to create but never got around to doing so. Let's Be Frank includes covers of songs notably performed by Sinatra and also features one original composition.
Background and production
According to Yearwood, she had always wanted to record album of traditional pop songs. She was originally approached by producer Don Was following her televised performance at Frank Sinatra's 2015 "100th Birthday" tribute. The album was recorded in summer 2018 in four days at the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, California. She performed the tracks with Sinatra's original microphone and was accompanied by a 55-piece orchestra. Let's Be Frank was arranged by Vincent Mendoza. Yearwood called the collaboration with Mendoza something she "couldn't be more proud of". She also noted his previous work with Tony Bennett, Ray Charles and Barbra Streisand. Yearwood drew inspiration for Let's Be Frank from her childhood. In an interview with iHeart Radio, Yearwood explained that her mother was fond of Frank Sinatra and for that reason, she "grew up" listening to him. She also mentioned that many of the songs Sinatra recorded were covered by other artists. These songs also appeared in films and television shows that she watched as a young child.
Content
According to Yearwood, the material for Let's Be Frank originated from the Great American Songbook catalog. While many of these songs had been recorded by Frank Sinatra, their original versions by other artists may be more memorable. Two notable recordings she covered by Sinatra included "Come Fly with Me" and "One for My Baby ". Yearwood also noted that "Come Fly with Me" was one of the most challenging songs to record because of its rhythm. The track "I'll Be Seeing You" was an especially emotional song to sing, according to Yearwood. She commented in 2019 that the song made her think of her mother, Gwen. The track "For the Last Time" originally was a line that Yearwood had thought of. Her husband Garth Brooks assisted by composing a melody to accompany her idea. It is the only original composition to appear on the album. Yearwood commented in 2019 that she not want the song to appear on Let's Be Frank because she feared it would disrespect the music of Sinatra. She was encouraged to play the song to her producer Don Was. Was enjoyed the song and arranged for the track to be recorded for the project.
Critical reception
Let's Be Frank received critical acclaim upon its major release to stores. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called the album not exactly "the kind of comeback most observers would've expected from Trisha Yearwood." Erlewine went on to call the record a "well-balanced songbook" that included diverse arrangements and song choices. Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave Let's Be Frank four of five possible stars in his review. Coyne highlighted tracks such as "One for My Baby " and "For the Last Time". He also compared Yearwood's song selection to that of Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Coyne later concluded his review of the album by saying, "Let's Be Frank is a delightful detour, and while it doesn't curb the hunger for more country music from the greatest female artist of the greatest generation of female artists, it is chock full of reminders of how she earned that distinction in the first place."
Commercial performance
Let's Be Frank was first issued on December 20, 2018 exclusively through Williams-Sonoma retailers. It was officially released to all major retailers on February 14, 2019. Both of these releases were distributed through Gwendolyn Records. Upon its initial release, the album would peak at number 2 on the BillboardJazz Albums chart and number 7 on the BillboardTop Independent Albums chart. Let's Be Frank marked Yearwood's first solo album since 2007's Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love and first to chart as well. Yearwood made numerous promotional appearances to support the album. She made her first appearance when launching songs off the album at the RainbowRoom in New York City. This included a performance of "For the First Time" on The Today Show in early 2019.
