Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

Performer: Natalie Cole
Artist: Luther Vandross; Paul Jackson, Jr.; Siedah Garrett; Peter Wolf
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Natalie Cole (vocals); Rob Mathes (arranger, electric guitar, keyboards, programming); Paul Jackson, Jr., Dean Parks, Michael Thompson, John Chiodini (guitar); Abe Appleman, Avril Brown, Barry Finclair, Joyce Hamman, Ann Leathers (violin); Sue Pray, Crystal Gamer, Juliet Haffner (viola); Richard Lockner, Diane Barere (cello); Stacey Shames (harp); Pamela Skalar (flute); John Moses, Virgil Blackwell (clarinet); Diane Lesser (oboe); John Clark, Bob Carlisle, Chris Komer (French horn); Robbie Buchanan (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Terry Trotter, Charles Floyd (piano); Clifford Carter (Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Peter Wolf (keyboards, bass, programming); Claude Glaudette (keyboards); David Finck (acoustic bass); Paul Robinson (electric bass). Producers: Chuck Jackson, Marvin Yancy, Phil Ramone, Peter Wolf, David Foster. Compilation producer: Bill Schnee. Engineers: Eric Schillng, Jeremy Elgueta. Personnel: Natalie Cole (vocals); John hiodini, Dean Parks, Michael Thompson, Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar); Rob Mathes (electric guitar, keyboards, programming); Stacy Shames (harp); Abe Appleman, Barry Finclair, Donna Tecco, Regis Landiorio, Marti Sweet, Joyce Hammann, Paul Peabody, Richard Sortomme, Avril Brown, Ann Leathers, Jan Mullen (violin); Sue Pray, Crystal Gamer, Carol Landon, Juliet Haffner (viola); Pamela Sklar (flute); Virgil Blackwell, John Moses (clarinet); Diane Lesser (oboe); John Clark , Chris Komer, Bob Carlisle (French horn); Charles Floyd, Mike Lang, Mike Melvoin, Robbie Buchanan, Terry Trotter (piano); Clifford Carter (Fender Rhodes piano); Claude Gaudette (keyboards); Jeff Porcaro, Mike Baird, Steve Gadd (drums); Jan Folkson (programming); Rodney Jerkins (drum programming); Cindy Mizelle, Deborah Cooper, Owen Waters, Mendy Lee, Julie Tillman, Gia Chiambotti, Alfie Silas, Maxine Willard Waters, Siedah Garrett (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Eric Schilling ; Calvin Harris ; Jeremy Smith ; Mick Guzauski. Recording information: Chartmaker Studios, L.A; Coco-Butt Studio; DreamHouse Studios, London, England; Embassy Recording Studios; Ocean Way, Hollywood, CA; Schnee Studio; Soundcastle Studio Center LA; Treehouse; Village Recorder. Arrangers: Paul Jackson, Jr. ; Rob Mathes; Peter Wolf ; David Foster. In 1988 Natalie Cole was enjoying great success with her recording career. Her comeback album, Everlasting, proved to be a smash, and had provided her with several big hits. Among those was her version of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac." The third single from the album, it was revamped into a powerful dance song -- much improved from the original, lackluster album version. It was that dance mix which propelled the song into the Top Five, making it the biggest hit of her career. Imagine the disappointment when, upon hearing her 2000 collection Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, one realizes the version on this album is the original album mix, not the version which became a hit! This long-awaited greatest-hits album, released to coincide with a television movie and a biography, has 19 tracks. In the U.S., Natalie Cole scored 18 Hot 100 pop hits up to the time of the album's release, so an all-inclusive album of her chart hits would have been a realistic possibility. As it goes, many of her bigger hits -- "Jump Start," "Sophisticated Lady," "Someone That I Used to Love" -- are not on this album. Her earlier hits, among them "Mr. Melody" and "Our Love," are included as live recordings. Also, there is heavy emphasis on selections from her 1999 album Snowfall on the Sahara. All this leads one to hope that any complimentary volume to this one will include the studio versions of her hits. As an additional note, this collection boasts two new songs, "Angel on My Shoulder" and "Livin' for Love," plus the soundtrack-only single "A Smile Like Yours." True, the songs are good and the album is a pleasure to the ear. One only wishes that the extra step would have been taken to assemble the correct versions of her hits, and that a second volume will follow. ~ Jose F. Promis Even if you're one of those who finds Natalie Cole's chart-topping duet with her late father on "Unforgettable" (naturally included here) unforgivable, this collection makes an excellent case for Cole as a pop/R&B songbird of rare quality, on par with Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, or anyone else you care to name. Cole's chops are established from the start, with an energetic live version of "Mr. Melody" that finds her soaring through her stratospheric range. Such Cole hits as the bouncy, Pointer Sisters-like "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" and the sultry "I've Got Love on My Mind" serve to remind the casual listener of the singer's substantial chart presence over the years. A luxuriant take on the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and a funky, synth-charged version of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac" show Cole's eclectic range. This retrospective closes on a contemporary note with the danceable "Livin' for Love," powered by electronic club-beats.

The daughter of celebrated singer Nat "King" Cole, Natalie Cole signed to Capitol Records in 1975 and went right to the Top 10 with her debut single "This Will Be," followed by two more hits in quick succession. An increasing drug dependency took a professional and personal toll. But after a successful spell in rehab, Cole re-launched her career in `87 with the album EVERLASTING, which spawned the transatlantic hit "Pink Cadillac." In 1991, Cole recorded a "duet" with her father on his original recording of the song "Unforgettable." The accompanying album won seven Grammy Awards, and sent her in a more jazz/pop direction from the early `90s and onward.

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