New, improved Natalie Cole reconnects with roots

09/12/2006 8:40 PM, Reuters


Somewhere in her evolution, Natalie Cole grew a bit confusing.

A pop-savvy brand of strong-female soul ballads and the ultra-positive "This Will Be" gave her instant cred when she released her first album in 1975. Over time, the pop overpowered the soul, and when she devoted increasing attention to thematic projects -- several Christmas albums, a standards release and an album that melded her voice to that of her late father, Nat "King" Cole -- the soul sistah role that had once brought her comparisons to Aretha Franklin seemed a relic of the past.

Cole reconnects with her roots at times on her Verve album "Leavin'," out September 26, and made that link even stronger Monday at the Viper Room, opening a four-night stand. The concert primarily introduced the new material, which mostly recasts songs affiliated with such artists as Shelby Lynne, Sting and Fiona Apple. But Cole freely strode down memory lane onstage, dropping in familiar titles from previous decades and playing up her R&B heritage.

In fact, Cole reinvited the Franklin comparisons. She rolled out her current single -- a cover of Lady Soul's "Day Dreaming," complete with its signature sweet harmonies -- and even weaved lines from "Freeway of Love" into a vamp during "Pink Cadillac."

Cole and Franklin do have their similarities; both harvest significant dynamic fluctuations, obvious gospel roots and comparable harmonic territory. But Cole is a more restrained performer, less gritty in timbre and -- befitting her heritage -- more influenced by jazz. She played up the latter part of her repertoire most effectively in a cover of Michael Franks' "Tell Me All About It," dressing its light samba groove with a well-conceived scat solo. That relaxed bit of improv, with a well-conceived theme and spacious phrasing, underscored her maturity as a vocalist.

Not everything worked. Cole and her eight-piece band grooved more visually than sonically on "Pink Cadillac." And Neil Young's "Old Man" overtaxed the lower part of her register, making some lines barely audible. Still, the song did instill a connection to her father's early passing and the idea that she likely has plenty to say to him as an adult that she couldn't have articulated when he died during her teens.

The core of the evening, however, was her full-circle embrace of her harmony-spackled old-school stylings. Ronnie Dyson's "The More You Do It" had the same bubbly optimism that invigorated "This Will Be," "Annie Mae" remained a sort of syncopated stew, and "Love Letter" employed a Muscle Shoals brand of gliding celebration.

That all dovetails with "5 Minutes Away," a new song she co-wrote with producer Dallas Austin. It employs all the best parts of her original music identity, and its romantic lyrics are easily adapted to her current reality: She has traveled the stylistic world but still seems most at home right where she started.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter