By 1967, bossa nova had become quite popular within jazz and traditional pop audiences, yet {$Frank Sinatra} hadn't attempted any Brazil-influenced material. {$Sinatra} decided to record a full-fledged bossa nova album with the genre's leading composer, {$Antonio Carlos Jobim}. Arranged by {$Claus Ogerman} and featuring {$Jobim} on guitar and backing vocals, {^Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim} concentrated on {$Jobim}'s originals, adding three American classics -- {&"Baubles, Bangles and Beads,"} {&"Change Partners,"} and {&"I Concentrate on You"} -- that were rearranged to suit bossa nova conventions. The result was a subdued, quiet album that used the Latin rhythms as a foundation, not as a focal point. Supported by a relaxed, sympathetic arrangement of muted brass, simmering percussion, soft strings, and {$Jobim}'s lilting guitar, {$Sinatra} turns in an especially noteworthy performance; he has never sounded so subtle, underplaying every line he delivers and showcasing vocal techniques that he never had displayed before. {^Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim} doesn't reveal its pleasures immediately; the album is too textured and understated to be fully appreciated within one listen. After a few plays, the album begins to slowly work its way underneath a listener's skin, and it emerges as one of his most rewarding albums of the '60s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide