FRANKLY NOT

Harry Connick Jr. has long viewed himself as something of a Sinatra for the '90s. Although he broke into jazz a decade ago as a solo pianist influenced by Bud Powell and Art Tatum, his career veered sharply toward big-band and string-arranged music after his 1989 sound track, When Harry Met Sally, went multi-platinum. When his version of the classic It Had to Be You--with Connick singing--became a hit, he began moving his repertoire closer toward pop, writing, as he did on 1991's Blue Light, Red Light, jaunty big-band tunes that echoed the pop standards of the 1940s and '50s. He even came out from behind the piano and began strolling around stages in black tie, snapping his fingers, chatting with his audiences and crooning into a microphone. Like Sinatra, Connick became a Hollywood actor, landing small but spicy roles in five pictures, including Memphis Belle and Independence Day.

Connick's newest album, To See You, reveals just where the Sinatra comparison ends. Bringing a quartet and orchestra together for 10 wispy, Connick-penned ballads, To See You leaves Connick's modest voice drowning in a sea of strings and lugubrious arrangements. On past records, Connick's vocal limitations usually hid behind strong melodies or brisk rhythms. Here, though, his own billowy backgrounds draw attention to his earnest but colorless singing. Connick probably sees himself as a film star, jazz interpreter and vocalist. He's right--on two of those counts.

--By David E. Thigpen