Natalie Cole Albums (23)
What The Critics Say
Natalie Cole's liner notes for Still Unforgettable make it sound like the Great American Songbook had been collecting dust on her shelf since 1991, when she recorded Unforgettable, the album that shot her into the mainstream. (She had been releasing Top Ten R&B albums since 1975, but Unforgettable was something else, a cultural phenomenon that inspired a Saturday Night Live skit.) Still Unforgettable features another duet with father, "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," but its make-up isn't that much different from albums like Take a Look (1993), Stardust (1996), or Ask a Woman Who Knows. While she has been reinterpreting classics on and off for nearly two decades now, she can't be faulted for phoning it in; in fact, she seems to be having more fun with the songbook than before. If you're keeping score at home, Nat King Cole was 32 when he recorded "Walkin' My Baby Back Home"; Natalie was in her late 50s when she recorded the duet with her father's vocals -- which would, for the sake of the song here, make her old enough to be her father's mother. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Natalie Cole's second album for Verve, released four years after Ask a Woman Who Knows, is also based around covers. This time out, she fixes her gaze on more modern material and is joined by producer Dallas Austin. Backed by a band anchored by Austin (who drums throughout), longtime Austin associate Tony Reyes (bass, guitar), and Marvin "Chanz" Parkman (keyboards), Cole breezes through an easygoing set of covers including the likely (Aretha Franklin's "Day Dreaming," Des'ree's "You Gotta Be"), the relatively unlikely (Neil Young's "Old Man," Kate Bush's "The Man with the Child in His Eyes"), and the practically required (the requisite Sting cover, thankfully not "Fragile"). Sounding like it was recorded at a leisurely pace, with all the involved enjoying themselves, the album should be a treat for any Cole fan, even though there is only one original song: the classy, Al Green-inspired "5 Minutes Away." ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Natalie Cole is a fascinating vocalist who represents more than 30 years of worldwide critical acclaim, tremendous commercial success, the continuation of a family legacy, and consummate artistry. Her new dreams, ideas, and efforts unfold on Ask a Woman Who Knows, her debut for the Verve recording label and first recording in three years. Ms. Cole's musical choices include songs that depict the various aspects of love -- its joy, its sorrow, its loneliness, and its consolation. Included are two of Dinah Washington's gems -- "I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do" and the title track, Ask a Woman Who Knows" -- both songs about love gone wrong. Cole changes the tone of the set with great scatting on the up-tempo swinger "My Baby Just Cares for Me"; "It's Crazy," the hit written by her father, Nat King Cole; and the soulful "I'm Glad There Is You," which features Roy Hargrove on flugelhorn. Natalie Cole sings her engaging musical stories with priceless, nuanced phrasing accompanied by a distinguished core quintet of Joe Sample, Russell Malone, Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, and Rob Mounsey. The added dimension of Natalie Cole performing all background vocals and the backing of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra on two songs makes the recording extra special. Overall, this is an exceptional recording that re-teams her with Tommy LiPuma, the producer of her biggest hit, Unforgettable: With Love. The listener who has followed her career will hear and understand that the consistency of all her exploring has been to arrive at a higher level of musical accomplishment through support from great musicians and a positive musical family. ~ Paula Edelstein, All Music Guide
'The Magic of Christmas'
Release Date 9/21/1999
Tracks 10
Label Elektra
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Natalie Cole collaborates with the London Symphony Orchestra on The Magic Of Christmas, a traditional yet sophisticated collection of holiday favorites, including "O Tannenbaum," "The 12 Days Of Christmas" and "The Christmas Song," which features Cole in a duet with her father, Nat King Cole. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'Snowfall on the Sahara'
Release Date 6/22/1999
Tracks 12
Label Elektra
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With Unforgettable, Natalie Cole refashioned herself as a modern interpreter of the classic American songbook. Once that album turned into a blockbuster, she saw no reason to return to contemporary pop or R&B. Over the course of the '90s, she released a series of faithful, sophisticated, traditional pop albums, all to diminishing artistic and commercial returns. With Snowfall on the Sahara, she pulls back from her classic pop routine and she does so with style. She doesn't abandon her role as a torch songstress, but this time she updates it, not only through Phil Ramone's production but through her selection of songs. This time around, the classics are contemporary -- "A Song for You," "Corrina," "Everyday I Have the Blues," "Gotta Serve Somebody" (complete with a new verse, written by Bob Dylan especially for Cole) -- and she also performs some forgotten tunes and newer songs, along with her fine co-written original title track. Ramone pretty much keeps things in a soulful adult contemporary mold, with the occasional unexpected flourish (such as the trip-hop intro to "Corrina") popping up here and there. Even with such clean radio-ready production, Snowfall on the Sahara is hardly a conventional adult contemporary record; it plays like a nightclub revue from a classic pop vocalist, only with modernized arrangements and songs. Such subtle deviations from formula results in a surprisingly satisfying record. By balancing the form of traditional pop with strong material and modernized production, Snowfall on the Sahara illustrates adult pop needs to be neither predictable or devoid of substantive songs. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Continuing her successful foray into the American songbook, Natalie Cole served as executive producer on her third album of pop standards. Eighteen selections, including works by Hoagy Carmichael and songs associated with Nat, Ella, Sarah, and Dinah. Big-band orchestration and a trumpet solo by Wynton Marsalis on "He Was Too Good to Me." Guest players include Fourplay, Everette Harp, George Duke, and John Pizzarelli. Cole originally recorded Nat's "When I Fall in Love" ballad on her Everlasting album. Here she does a duet with dad à la "Unforgettable." She also closes the album with a solo version sung in Spanish. ~ Bill Carpenter, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As she did with Unforgettable, Natalie Cole again follows her in father's footsteps with a Christmas recording. Although this does not have the same 'classic' quality of her dad's The Christmas Album, it is a fine outing. Performing with either a big band or small group, Ms. Cole performs a combination holiday classics along with some lesser known tunes such as "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot" and "No More Blue Christmas." ~ Robert Taylor, All Music Guide
