Comments for Cole, Natalie, Take a Look

A fine follow-up to Natalie`s first jazz exploration, "Unforgettable." On that album, Natalie paid tribute to the music of her legendary father; here she tackles jazz staples by the likes of Peggy Lee, Billie Holiday, Julie London, Carmen McRae, and Sarah Vaughan. Again, she comes out ahead. Her opening cut, "I Wish You Love," gets things off to a lush and lovely start; "I`m Beginning to See the Light" continues things in a toe-tapping tradition. "Crazy He Calls Me" and "Cry Me a River" (most notably by Billie Holiday and Julie London, respectively) are given beautiful readings and production...and while covering songs commonly associated by vocalists of such caliber as Holiday and London is no easy task, Natalie more than rises to the occasion. "Let There Be Love" and "Undecided" are delightful uptempo numbers, and Natalie actually manages to breath some fresh life into that most overdone standard, "As Time Goes By"...all connections to "Casablanca" all but disappear here. "Take a Look" contains more not-immediately-vital material than "Unforgettable" did: "It`s Sand Man" is too fast with too many vocals and altogether annoying, "Don`t Explain" is given a competent but less than special reading, and "Swingin Shepherd Blues" is interesting for novelty value (it`s not an overly popular tune) but it`s lyric of a shepherd and his swinging sheep is a little odd, and the tune isn`t a necessity. But other lesser-known songs are given nice treatment and emerge as important compositions, most notably the Carribean-tinged "Calypso Blues" (co-written by Nat King Cole) and the achingly gorgeous ballad "I`m Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life." And while it isn`t as tight as "Unforgettable," this project is still a well-produced and beautifully sung collection of classic songs. With the album that followed, "Stardust," Natalie somewhat overstayed her welcome in the jazz-nostalgia department: that project offered nothing truly new, and even recycled the idea of splicing Natalie`s voice with her father`s on "When I Fall in Love" (one of that album`s few strong and enjoyable tracks.) But "Take a Look" is definitely worth a listen.