The Essential Nat King Cole (2004)
EAC Rip | Flac(tracks) + cue + log | 578 MB | 3 CD | Full Scans
Genre: Vocal Jazz | Hotfile/Fileserve/Filesonic

There's no mistaking those velvet-piled vocal chords. Warm, sandy, accessible, Nat King Cole's is a voice to curl up inside on a grey afternoon, a fleecy blanket for the soul.

His distinctive baritone and keyboard dexterity rapidly made him a musical phenomenon, and enriched all those who marketed it: Capitol Record's Hollywood headquarters became known as 'The House that Nat Built'. The downside is that his brilliant musicianship was channelled into commercial hits. Despite a hugely prolific career, Cole is now best known for a handful of over-played sentimental ballads.

This superb 49-track double-disc collection puts the records straight. There are plenty of familiar numbers ("Mona Lisa", "Nature Boy", "Unforgettable") but, rejoice, no "Christmas Song" or "When I Fall In Love".

Instead, the compilation airs a crop of little-heard gems by the King Cole Trio, the hugely popular piano-guitar-bass combo with which Nat sprang to fame in the 1940s. Dapper tunes Like "What Does It Take" and "You Don't Learn That In School" reveal Cole's wit and urbanity, even naughtiness, while the bluesy break-up song "Meet Me At No Special Place" hints at edgier qualities. There are some curiosities too, such as "Calypso Blues", a solo vocal with only bongos as backing.

There's also plenty of spiffing jazz piano. During the 1940s, before his singing career took over, Cole was best known as a glittering instrumentalist. His lightning improvisational skills are evident here in tracks such as "Blues In My Shower", "Cole Capers", and a giddily elaborate version of "Sweet Georgia Brown".

The liner notes deserve special mention for their snappy yet erudite commentary, which illuminates the song-writing industry of the mid-twentieth century, as well as providing some fascinating factoids. Cole's own song "Straighten Up and Fly Right", a big hit in 1944, apparently incorporates a phrase his preacher father would use in the pulpit. The notes on "Frim Fram Sauce", that great gastronomic nonsense song, even provide some background on the eponymous condiment.

Beautifully produced and expertly researched, this compilation is a joy for anyone whose appreciation of Cole goes beyond roasting Yuletide chestnuts. Simply swinging.

Tracklisting:

Volume 1

01. Unforgettable
02. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
03. What is This Thing Called Love
04. Straighten Up & Fly
05. Black Spider Romp
06. Early Morning Blues
07. Embraceable You
08. Faith Can Move Mountains
09. Frim Fram Sauce
10. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
11. All For You
12. Gone With The Draft
13. Hit That Jive Jack
14. Jivin' With Jarvis
15. Just You, Just Me
16. Laura
17. On the Sunny Side of the Street
18. Polka Dots & Moonbeams
19. Scotchin' With Soda
20. Orange Coloured Sky

Volume 2

01. Mona Lisa
02. Lost April
03. Naughty Angeline
04. Almost Like Being in Love
05. Body and Soul
06. Don't Blame Me
07. I Like to Riff
08. Jack the Bellboy
09. Lush Life
10. Are You Fer It
11. But She's My Buddy's Chick
12. Once in a Blue Moon
13. Put 'em In A Box, Tie 'em With Ribbon
14. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
15. You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Loves You
16. What'll I Do
17. This Can't Be Love
18. That 'Aint Right
19. Somewhere Along the Way
20. A Portrait of Jennie

Volume 3

01. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
02. My Funny Valentine
03. Nature Boy
04. Pretend
05. Love is Here to Stay
06. Because You're Mine
07. Baby, Baby All the Time
08. Call the Police
09. I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance
10. Babs
11. Christmas Song
12. Dough-Ra-Me
13. I'm Never Satisfied
14. Jet
15. Red Sails in the Sunset
16. Rose Room
17. This Will Make You Laugh
18. Sweet Georgia Brown
19. Too Young
20. Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone)

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