Unforgettable - Natalie Cole

The late, great, Nat King Cole was a man with a golden throat, whose voice could soothe and caress. Once you've heard his voice, you'll never forget it, and its velvet quality. My mother adored listening to Nat King Cole's music, and I have always thought it was a shame that the only time I "saw" him was in the movie "Cat Ballou" where he and Stubby Kaye sang the narration for the film (it's a great film, by the way) and I understand ...
...He was an outstanding performer and his legacy lives on - both in the Nat King Cole Society (http://www.nat-king-cole.org/) as well as in his daughter - Natalie Cole. It was therefore very fitting for me to be introduced to his daughter's voice via the CD "Unforgettable" - which is a tribute to her father's music. The title of this CD is doubly appropriate. Firstly because through this disk, Natalie has helped keep alive the memory of her ... more

The late, great, Nat King Cole was a man with a golden throat, whose voice could soothe and caress. Once you've heard his voice, you'll never forget it, and its velvet quality. My mother adored listening to Nat King Cole's music, and I have always thought it was a shame that the only time I "saw" him was in the movie "Cat Ballou" where he and Stubby Kaye sang the narration for the film (it's a great film, by the way) and I understand Cole passed away not long after that film was released. He was an outstanding performer and his legacy lives on - both in the Nat King Cole Society (http://www.nat-king-cole.org/) as well as in his daughter - Natalie Cole. It was therefore very fitting for me to be introduced to his daughter's voice via the CD "Unforgettable" - which is a tribute to her father's music. The title of this CD is doubly appropriate. Firstly because through this disk, Natalie has helped keep alive the memory of her father and his music. The second reason I'll talk about later in this review.

While most of you won't recognize most of these songs, I think that even the younger readers here will be familiar with one or two tracks on this disk. The songs included are:

1. Very Thought of You
2. It's Only a Paper Moon
3. Route 66
4. Mona Lisa
5. L-O-V-E
6. This Can't Be Love
7. Smile
8. Lush Life
9. That Sunday, That Summer
10. Orange Colored Sky
11. Medley of: For Sentimental Reasons/Tenderly/Autumn Leaves
12. Straighten up and Fly Right
13. Avalon
14. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
15. Too Young
16. Nature Boy
17. Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
18. Almost Like Being in Love
19. Thou Swell
20. Non Dimenticar
21. Love Is Here to Stay
22. Unforgettable

That list probably doesn't say much to most of you. But perhaps I can help jog your memories a bit. For instance, the song 'Nature Boy' was featured heavily in the movie "Moulin Rouge" (remember the song that starts out "There was a boy. A very strange enchanted boy. They say he wandered very far over land and sea. A little shy, and sad of eye, but very wise was he."?) For those of you who saw either the original or the remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" the song 'Autumn Leaves' was the theme song for both versions - and I've recently heard a cover version of this song which has been given a slightly hip-hop bent to it - which is not bad, but it's not Nat or Natalie. Of course several of these songs have appeared as covers in many films over the years, and it would take me too long to point all of them out here. But unless anyone besides me remembers hearing a very young Michael Jackson singing 'Too Young', that's about it, from what I can see.

This isn't to say that you might not enjoy listening to this CD - in fact, if you have any appreciation for a good song, smart lyrics and a voice that can strike your heart-strings, you might appreciate this collection quite a bit. So let me talk about those three things just a bit.

The voice - while daddy Nat had a rich, almost creamy voice, daughter Natalie's voice is - at least on this album - just a touch on the thin side. I'd almost go as far as saying that it sounds, on some songs, almost childish. That isn't to say that its unpleasant. No, there's something very refreshing in her voice that gives us a very clean, almost innocent sound to it, especially on the slower ballads. And yet, there's also a maturity in her lower range that edges on the sexy. On the other hand, when she's singing the swing or jazzy upbeat songs, she has the ability to practically imitate the sound of a trumpet on her high notes when she's belting. Then again, there are times when her voice sounds very much like a flute which happens when she's crooning a more blues-y song.

The songs and lyrics - these are classics, each and every one of them. Anyone who can recognize any of these titles will know this. Many of these are love songs of the old school, which investigate emotions on a far deeper level than the "I'm gonna give it to you" garbage you hear these days. For instance the lyric in Mona Lisa "many dreams have been brought to your doorstep, they just lie there, and they die there. Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa, or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art?" will show you how much more thought has been put into the meaning of the words put into these songs than what you'll get today. And how about the lyric "This can't be love because I feel so well"? Notice that last word? That's actually proper English! When was the last time you heard a popular song that didn't break half a dozen rules of simple grammar? By the way, one of the few songs on this album that I didn't know before I heard it, is "Straighten Up and Fly Right" which, it turns out, was written by Nat King Cole with Irving Mills. When I noticed that on the liner of this CD I was glad that Natalie had included one of her father's original songs. What's more, its become one of my favourite tracks on the disk, with its positive energy tempo, and swing beat to it.

I said that most of the songs here are about love, but not all the songs are. There is a small smattering here of swing songs that have nothing to do with love - "Route 66" for instance, and Nat's own "Straighten Up" - but to tell the truth, the rest of the songs are love songs of one kind or another (and thankfully, they are all far more creative than "I love you" or "you my baby"). Well, how exactly could one expect otherwise, when the complete title of this CD is actually "Unforgettable, with love, Natalie Cole".

But good songs, smart lyrics and a lovely voice aren't the only things that make a good album. I really think that the arrangements on this album are outstanding. With full orchestrations on the quieter ballads, and all the bright sounds and back beat of a jazz band on the faster songs. There are also a few with some backup singers included that reminded me of old musicals. This is why its hard to put a single genre on this album, since it's a combination of swing, jazz and blues, with a nod to the Big Band era (with "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" which Nat recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra), and a touch of old-time boogie. However, if anyone calls this "easy listening" I'd probably smack them in the face, despite how easy it is to listen to this album. Moreover, the collection includes songs spanning two decades of Nat King Cole's career - with the oldest song "Paper Moon" recorded in 1944 and the most recently recorded song being George & Ira Gershwin's "Our Love is Here to Stay" recorded in 1964.

For those interested, I should mention that the CD liner is a very interesting read. While we don't get the lyrics for each song, we do get a few words about each song by Natalie, and why she picked each of them. The introduction to that says:

"Since she launched her own Grammy-award winning career in 1975, Natalie Cole admits people have urged her to record an album of Nat King Cole songs. But it wasn't until now that she was prepared to undertake such a project. 'When I was recording', she says, 'I felt tremendous joy and relief. I have kept this music inside of me for so long and now I'm finally releasing it'."

Also included in the liner is the usual list of the songs with their lengths, who wrote them and the basics of the arrangements. Interspersed with this are pictures of Natalie as a young girl - some with her performing with her father - with captions explaining them. There's also a large list of credits for all the performers on this disk, and a very detailed special thanks from Natalie herself. It just occurred to me that Natalie has been recording for 30 years now, and from her web page, I see she isn't slowing down yet. That certainly says something for her talent, doesn't it?

But back to the album itself, and here I'll explain the second reason why the title of this CD is so appropriate. The final track is the crowning glory of this album. It is the song "Unforgettable" itself, which was specially remastered with both the original recording of Nat King Cole singing along with Natalie joining in to make it into a duet. But it was done particularly well because they didn't just take Nat's recording and then add Natalie's additional voice. No, they mixed it in such a way so that it sounds like they're singing WITH each other, with some phrases sung by Nat and others by Natalie, and other parts where their two voices overlap and harmonize. This is a masterpiece if I ever heard one, making this particular recording of this song... well... totally unforgettable! I swear, every time I hear this song, I get a lump in my throat and tears well up in my eyes with joy, both for the beauty of this version, as well as its bringing back the memory of Nat and his amazing talent.

Bottom line - I'm thrilled that I got this CD because its such a refreshing break from some of the things you hear on the radio these days (or through your computer's music player that's been loaded up with all of today's hits that your kids have downloaded). The lyrics speak of real emotions with far more intelligent lyrics than what so-called songwriters have been throwing at us lately. The tunes will leave you humming them long after the last track has finished playing. The arrangements are rich and easy on the ear. And most importantly, Natalie's voice brings all of these together, in perfect harmony and as a lovely tribute to her late father. But Natalie herself said it best in the CD liner at the end of her thanks, when she wrote:

"The making of this album has been a blessing and a labor of love for myself and everyone that has worked on it. It was no coincidence that many of the musicians were the original players on my father's recordings, nor was it a coincidence that some 30 years later on the anniversary of his passing, February 15, we would be recording in the very same studio at Capitol Records. This project has touched all of us deeply, and it has left a smile on my face that will not go away anytime soon. I hope you feel the same. So sit back and enjoy, and by the way... Thanks Dad... God bless you all!"

Highly recommended and a full five stars.

Thanks for reading!

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Technical Stuff:
This CD was produced by Elektra Entertainment and was released in 1991. ASIN: B000002H8X, Catalogue Number: 7559-61049-2.

Available on Amazon new for £7.99 (only 1 was left at the writing of this review - so hurry), or used from only £3. On CD Wow you can get it new for only £6.99. Good thing that its out of stock on Play.com since it costs a whopping £12.99 delivered from there!

Of course Natalie has her own web page, which is http://www.nataliecole.com/ and it's a very nicely done site with information about her concerts, disks and her life - a must for any Natalie Cole fan.
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