Natalie Cole's "Take a Look" is neither a sharp departure nor a close copy of her eight-million-selling 1991 album Unforgettable. She once again sings her daddy's songs, but this time she only does three of them, all obscure non-hits known only to the most fanatic Nat "King" Cole fans. The other 15 songs pay tribute to a wider circle of influences Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, Julie London and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. The most welcome change is the new confidence the younger Cole now brings to the standard repertoire. Her voice has always had the satiny ease that makes listeners feel comfortable, but on this album Cole reclaims some of the spunk and playfulness of her R&B hits
This beautiful album is undisputedly one of the first-rate recordings of Natalie Cole.
Likewise, this album became gold and earned her another Grammy for Best Vocal Performance.
And as always, Ms. Cole has been one of my favorite jazz vocalists in the music scene. On this recording, she has a line-up of the finest musicians like Alan Broadbent (arranger/pianist), Jeremy Lubbock (arranger), Marty Paich (arranger), Herbie Hancock (piano) and Grover Washington, Jr. (sax), among many others.
Her recent concert at the Hollywood Bowl was a huge success! My friend and I watched the first of two consecutive night concerts and truly enjoyed it! She has a terrific stage presence and her performances, accompanied by the fabulous L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra, were superb from the very first two numbers and all-time favorites of mine, "The Very Thought Of You" and "Midnight Sun" to the encores.
She so splendidly performed one of the most remarkable tracks in this CD to the delight of the very enthusiastic audience, my all-time favorite and one of the highlights of the show "Let There Be Love," a song made popular by her late father, Nat King Cole, in the forties.
Track listing
01. "I Wish You Love" (Albert Beach, Charles Trenet) - 4:07
02. "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, Harry James) - 3:29
03. "Swinging Shepherd Blues" (Natalie Cole, Kenny Jacobson, Moe Koffman, Rhoda Roberts) - 4:01
04. "Crazy He Calls Me" (Bob Russell, Carl Sigman) - 4:11
05. "Cry Me a River" (Arthur Hamilton) - 3:50
06. "Undecided" (Sydney Robin, Charlie Shavers) - 2:15
07. "Fiesta in Blue" (Count Basie, Louie Bellson, Roy Eldridge, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Mundy) - 4:03
08. "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life" (Cy Coleman, Joseph McCarthy) - 3:33
09. "Let There Be Love" (Ian Grant, Lionel Rand) - 3:50
10. "It's Sand, Man!" (Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert, Ed Lewis) - 2:30
11. "Don't Explain" (Arthur Herzog, Jr., Billie Holiday) - 3:10
12. "As Time Goes By" (Herman Hupfeld) - 3:43
13. "Too Close for Comfort" (Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, George David Weiss) - 2:56
14. "Calypso Blues" (Nat King Cole, George) - 4:59
15. "This Will Make You Laugh" (Irene Higginbotham) - 3:46
16. "Lovers" (Cole, Chuck Jackson, Marvin Yancy) - 3:14
17. "All About Love" (Robert Arthur, Bill Dana) - 3:39
18. "Take a Look" (Cole, Naomi Neville, Clyde Otis) - 3:06
Credits
Vocals [All] - Natalie Cole
Bass - John Clayton, Jim Hughart
Drums - Jeff Hamilton, Harold Jones
Guitar - John Chiodini
Piano - Roger Kellaway, Alan Broadbent, Clare Fisher, Michael Melvoin
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Piano - Herbie Hancock
Saxophone, Soloist - Grover Washington, Jr., David "Fathead" Newman, Pete Christlieb
Trumpet, Soloist - David Trigg
Percussion - Luis Conte, Robert Yancy
Vibraphone, Marimba - Larry Bunker
Production
Arranged By – John Clayton, Bill Holman, Alan Broadbent, Marty Paich, Jeremy Lubbock, James Hughart, John Chiodini
Management – Dan Cleary
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Engineer [Assistant] – Charlie Paakkari, Chris Albert, Chris Fogel, Dan Wojnar, Gary Sulich*, Gil Morales, John Hendrickson, Ken Allardyce, Marnie Riley, Richard Landers
Executive-Producer – Natalie Cole, Tommy LiPuma
Producer [Assistant To Andre Fischer] – Keith Petrie, Patty Nichols
Producer [Assistant To Tommy LiPuma] – Angelo Montrone, Deborah Silverman-Kern
Recorded By [Additional] – Bill Schnee, Doug Ryder*, Woody Woodruff*, Joe Ferla
Recorded By, Mixed By – Al Schmitt
Producer - André Fischer, Tommy LiPuma, Natalie Cole
Notes
Release date: June 9, 1993
Recorded at Oceanway, Hollywood, CA;, Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA;, Bill Schnee Stud, Power Station, New York, NY; and O'Henry Studios, Burbank, CA
Mixed at Bill Schnee Studio, North Hollywood, CA
Mastered at The Mastering Lab, Hollywood, CA
Genre: Soul, Vocal Jazz
Length: 64:22
© 1993
Label - Elektra Records
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