Working with her longstanding backing trio and, for the first time, a string section (beautifully arranged and conducted by pianist Christian Jacob), Ms. Sutton renders each song a perfect jewel. There are certainly more dramatic singers, but Sutton does not have to resort to artificial drama

Tierney Sutton’s latest CD, Dancing In the Dark, is “inspired by the music of Frank Sinatra”, and there is no accident in the use of the word ‘inspired.’ Sutton does not seek to slavishly imitate Sinatra’s versions of these songs. Instead, she offers strongly individualistic renditions that are based on a deep reading of the lyrics and a treatment of the melodic structure of the songs as living, breathing organisms. That’s an approach that she shares with Sinatra, and the results here are similarly gratifying for the listener.

To those who grew up with Sinatra the icon (an icon which Sutton says she has no interest in) in the 1970s and beyond, the songs here may seem foreign, coming as they do from earlier periods in his career. A great many of these tunes are culled from such classic Capitol Sinatra albums as In the Wee Small Hours (“I’ll Be Around”), Sings for Only the Lonely (“Only the Lonely” and “Where or When”), and Come Dance With Me (“Dancing In the Dark,” “The Last Dance”). These are meaty songs written by master songwriters such as Irving Berlin, Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Alec Wilder, Rogers & Hart, Johnny Mandel, and Johnny Mercer. In short, it is material that cries out for a sensitive, mature singer, which is an accurate and precise description of Tierney Sutton.

Working with her longstanding backing trio and, for the first time, a string section (beautifully arranged and conducted by pianist Christian Jacob), Ms. Sutton renders each song a perfect jewel. There are certainly more dramatic singers, but Sutton does not have to resort to artificial drama because the material is superb and her voice and range of emotion are perfectly matched. Rather than overwhelm with vocal pyrotechnics she insinuates the darker nuances of these songs into the listener’s consciousness almost without their being aware of it. When she intones, on the opening track, “What’ll I do/With just a photograph/to tell my troubles to?” one feels melancholic despair, but never does it cross the line to maudlin self-pity.

Dancing In the Dark may well prove one of the best vocal albums released this year. It casts a spell and maintains its mood over its dozen tracks in the same way that classic vocal albums like June Christy’s Something Cool or Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours did. That’s very high praise for a vocalist, but Sutton demonstrates clearly that she deserves it on this CD.