The sections about Sinatra’s work with Nelson Riddle eloquently illuminate their collaboration, each man pushing “the other to heights neither could achieve individually,” while the book as a whole attests to Sinatra’s perfectionism and devotion to detail—not just his own phrasing and control of rhythm and tempo, but also his thoughtful choice of songs to sustain the mood of a given album, his selection of musicians to work with on individual tracks, and the last-minute adjustments he made to arrangements and orchestrations.
