Picks and Pans Review: Natalie Cole

Still Unforgettable

REVIEWED BY V.R. PETERSON

JAZZ

The versatile Natalie Cole is back with a set of 14 standards, her first since 1991 when the cleverly produced Unforgettable … with Love joined her in song with her late father, Nat “King” Cole. The best track is their bright duet “Walkin’ My Baby Back Home,” built on choruses of playful woodwinds and brass fanfare. Cole’s voice shifts easily from innocence on “Lollipops and Roses” to the blues. There are no tricky rhythms or brooding silences, just memorable melodies from the Great American Songbook.

Updated by V.R. PETERSON,

Chris Strauss,

STEVE DOUGHERTY,

and Christina Tapper