Swinging on a Star! Songs of the Rat Pack
Things we loved
- Raft's voice is like smoky honey
- Magnificent brass section lifts the night
- Many songs got under our skin, in a good way
Things we would reconsider
- When the banter between songs gets even stronger, there'll be no stopping this entertainer
The best way to describe Jack Raft’s delivery of Rat Pack classics is that he glides over the songs.
His voice is right in the zone, his performance is as smooth and has that smoky/honey quality all Rat Pack fans adore.
Raft’s rendition of Fly Me To The Moon was one small step for the singer but one giant leap for the audience; sending us, collectively, into orbit around these towering legends of song.
Another highlight was That’s Life, the title song from Raft’s 2020 show, and he really ups the ante, so much so we might well say, That’s The Show.
Raft can shine because he has a superb 7-piece band supporting him, with occasional solos that add extra class, such as the sublime trumpet solo during I Got You Under My Skin. It did get under our skin, in a good way.
When you consider that Jack Raftopoulos is still young, not yet in his 20s, it’s clear there we’ll be hearing more from him, especially as he develops his banter between songs. At the moment, the proud Rat Packian does tend to shrink within himself when addressing the audience, almost to the point of allowing a hint of self-doubt to emerge. As he develops and further embodies the verve and the bravado that Sinatra lived and oozed, then every time he speaks we won’t think he’s playing hide and seek but rather that he’s ready to bounce the moon just like it’s a toy balloon.
Swinging On A Star is a delightful tribute to the Rat Pack and also to the depth of musical talent we have here in South Australia. Jack and his band certainly don’t need any ladies bringing luck. As they shed any last threads of shyness, they’ll be even better than they now are, and, yes, they’ll be swinging on any damn stars they want to.