A Mis Amigos [Bonus Tracks]

Performer: Nat King Cole
Producer: James Ritz; James Ritz (Compilation)
Distributor: Infinity Entertainment Gr

Notes: Personnel: Nat King Cole (vocals, piano). Liner Note Author: James Ritz. Although it's clear that Nat "King" Cole is no native Spanish speaker, his Spanish language vocals on 1959's A MIS AMIGOS are pleasant enough, and give the whole affair a fun South-of-the-border feel. The album's real strong suit, however (in addition to Cole's naturally gorgeous timbre), is the backing band, which Cole picked up in Rio de Janeiro, where the set was recorded. Accordingly, tunes like "Ay, Cosita Linda" and "Perfidia" are carried along in true authentic style, while Cole croons and tries to trill his R's along with them. This is a bit of a novelty in Cole's discography, but the fine musicianship makes it worth a listen. Nat King Cole's first foray into singing in Spanish, Cole Espa�ol, was successful enough to lead to this follow-up, on which a slightly different approach was taken. For Cole Espa�ol, Capitol Records imported instrumental tracks recorded in Cuba and had Cole sing over them, having learned the lyrics phonetically. A Mis Amigos, however, was recorded in Rio de Janeiro during Cole's South American tour of 1959, with Brazilian musicians in the studio alongside the singer. That, the benefit of experience, and the reception his concerts were receiving may have helped improve his performances. He still didn't have much feeling for Spanish (or, in three instances, Portuguese), but some of the material was more familiar to him, notably "Aquellos Ojos Verdes," better known in the U.S. as the Jimmy Dorsey hit "Green Eyes," and "Fantastico," a specially written number brought in by American songwriters Jack Keller and Noel Sherman. [For a 2007 reissue, mail-order firm Collectors' Choice Music assembled six thematically related bonus tracks, expanding the album by 50 percent. "Ninguem Me Ama" was a Portuguese version of "Nadie Me Ama," a song heard in Spanish earlier in the disc that was a single in Brazil. From sessions in 1964 came "Tu Eres Tan Amable" and a Spanish-language version of Cole's hit "L-O-V-E." Cole sang in English on the remaining bonus tracks, all recorded contemporaneously with his first Spanish album, Cole Espa�ol, even though each had a Latin connection. "Lisbon Antigua" was a vocal version of Nelson Riddle's instrumental hit. "Come to the Mardi Gras" was set in Rio. And "Come Closer to Me," a Top 40 hit for Cole in 1958, was an English-language version of "Acercate Mas," a song from Cole Espa�ol.] ~ William Ruhlmann

One of the seminal performers in 20th-century American music, Nat "King" Cole was a major figure in the development of jazz piano, the stylistic link between early jazz and pop of the sophisticated urban variety that emerged in the '30s, and finally one of the greatest pop singers of his day. Cole was a hugely talented, intensely musical singer, blessed with almost flawless good taste, who became an international superstar capable of appealing to audiences across all boundaries.

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