Nat King Cole advice

[PoloPony]

I purchased a Natalie Cole cd single from a market and really like the sound of it, really cool lush music. It's "When I Fall In Love" duet with her father.
I was about to buy a best of of him but I listened to previews and heard that only a smaller portion of the songs have that quality, and the others are probably older and don't sound like that. For example my favorite is "Stardust". Maybe a best-of is not what I need, but maybe a later album. Or is there a collection that focusses on his later recordings?

[gregf]

Nat King Cole was an outstanding artist, able to put real soul into his work.

You may have to accept that there aren't new recordings of old artists.

I have a best of somewhere, which I like, but the production is not hi-res.
It can't be.

Can't tell you which CDs I bought as they are all packed away just now.

[PoloPony]

Hi Greg, thanks for the reply. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware of the quality of music and recording capabilities of music in the past, I'm not asking for re-mixed recordings or something along those lines, it's just I have a lot of musical interests and already tons of records and cds that are in waiting to be played and I just don't have the "interest" at the moment to research a (to me) new recording artist to see what eras I prefer of that artist. Right now I know I loved how he sounded with Natalie, and I know that that was probably remixed into a brand new song, but I also like Stardust (from what year is that?) and that must be an original recording.
I have to say while I love music from a lot of eras, I don't like pre-50s recordings due to the quality of the sound. And just you don't get the wrong idea, I hate the digital age, give me vinyl any day, or just normal cds that aren't mastered so loud.

[Deschanel]

I really, really hate posthumous recordings and mash-ups. I'm sorry, but Natalie Cole was never a great singer, she was halfway bearable with massive post production. (And I'm not one to gossip so you didn't hear it from me, but in the late 80's and early 90's she and Chaka Khan were drug-buddies in the really bad stuff. Peronal first- hand info, but you didn't hear it from me.)

Nat King Cole was another thing altogether though. Beautiful man, beautiful crooning voice, always. During the Civil Rights era in the US, when blacks were fighting for their rights, he was a calm and beautiful man and singer who soothed white anxieties at the time, I think. A sheer gentleman. With a gorgeous voice.



This is not necessarily the best version of his, of this song. I have a better recorded version on my iPhone. Just, summer before last when my dad was in the hospital dying, I was mowing the lawn and crying to it. I know it's a love song, and "Leaving " too is supposed to be. Nat King Cole was in my dad's jazzy record collection from when he was a young man. "What'll I Do" was an existential question to me. Even now, I'm still trying to figure it out.

Sorry for the TMI. Nat King Cole was a gent and a fantastic, beautiful singer.

[PoloPony]

I know about Natalie's past, which I believe includes self-confessed drug abuse and prostitution.
I have actually found a second-hand copy of her "Unforgettable" album and I have to say I really like it and found her to be quite a good singer.
I can't stand her Capitol recordings from what I've heard however.