NANCY SINATRA
Boots (reissue, 1966) LIGHT IN THE ATTIC
7/10
A patchy but oft-inspired pure pop debut
She may have had a strong team behind her – producer Lee Hazlewood, arranger Billy Strange – but on Boots, Nancy Sinatra marks out a unique personality, sharp as a tack and musically limber, with a voice bristling with attitude. Some of the arrangements here are a little perplexing: opening with a bossa nova take on “As Tears Go By” doesn’t do the song or its lyrics any real favours. “Day Tripper” follows and isn’t much stronger. There are a few other misjudged moves here and there, but that’s more than countered by Boots’ many strengths, not least “These Boots Are Made For Walking”, whose insouciance and unpredictability still has the capacity to startle. Its descending bassline must have already felt iconic; Sinatra reuses it in “Day Tripper” and “Flowers On The Wall”.