Natalie's album includes covers of standards previously performed by her father, Nat King Cole. It's a nice tribute to her legendary father and there's absolutely nothing wrong with the first 21 tracks, but I'm partial to Ronstadt singing standards, most likely because I heard those recordings first and they were my introduction to many tunes. It's more about timing than quality.
As for the hit title track, count me out - too creepy for this guy. To quote Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park, the producers "were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should."
The album won two Grammy Awards: Album of the Year & Best Engineered – Non-Classical.
Press of the time:
- Billboard: "could not be more superbly executed or emotionally affecting"
- CashBox: "underscores Nat's accomplishments as a pop star"
- Stereo Review: "Natalie Cole has reaffirmed the timelessness of her father's art"
- Entertainment Weekly (B+): "On balance it’s an impressive achievement"
- Robert Christgau: dud
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: #1
- Billboard Jazz: #1
- Billboard R&B: #5
Tracks: My picks are Route 66, Straighten Up And Fly Right, Too Young, and Thou Swell. It probably wasn't a good idea to tackle Mona Lisa and no one would have blamed her if she'd simply deferred to her father's definitive version of that one.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Just remembering how popular this album was when it came out (even my father bought a copy) and no one but me seemed to be disturbed by the title duet. And I'm reminded I need to pick up a copy of producer Tommy LiPuma's recently published bio.
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