Natalie Cole slowly walked out to the center of the stage of the Mark G. Etess Arena at Trump Taj Mahal Saturday night, March 16, 2013 to the warm sound of applause. Dressed in a long, sleek silver sequined gown, Cole greeted the audience with a smile, bow and a wave.
Opening her show with a ballad,“ Its Sandman,” which she followed with another slower number, “Summer Sun,” Cole had garnered the audience's attention. Throughout the first two selections, Cole lost her earrings and remarked to the audience, “Pardon me while I seem to be undressing right on stage” which brought a loud round of fan laughter.
As the show was nearing the end, Cole provided her loyal fans the thrill of the evening when she performed a duet with her late father, Nat King Cole as he appeared on screen and with her on stage, they both sang the mega hit, “Unforgettable,” which turned out to be a magical and emotional moment for both Cole and the audience.
The American songwriter, singer and performer Natalie Cole was born on February 6, 1950 in Los Angeles, California. Her father was legendary jazz singer Nat King Cole. During the mid 1970's Cole rose to musical success as an R&B musician from her hit singles "Our Love," "Inseparable" and "This Will Be." Following a downturn period of poor performances and low sales due to a drug addiction, she resurrected her career with the release of "Everlasting," Cole's 1987 album. During the 1990's, Cole re-recorded many of her fathers standards, including her 1991 album "Unforgettable." The set sold more than seven million copies. Over the course of her career, Cole has sold more than 30 million records worldwide.
Cole started singing in small clubs after graduating from college. She attracted the attention of producers Marvin Yancy and Chuck Jackson and signed with Capital Records, which had been her father's label. In 1975 Cole released her debut album, "Inseparable," via Capitol Records. It spawned the No. 1 hit singles "Inseparable" and "This Will Be." She won two Grammy Awards for the album. In 1976 Cole released "Natalie," her second album. "Unpredictable," her third album, was released in 1977 and was Cole's first platinum record. The album spawned the #1 hit single, "I've Got Love on My Mind." She also released her fourth album in 1977, "Thankful." The album also went platinum and spawned the hit single "Our Love." She released two albums in 1979; "We're the Best of Friends" with Peabo Bryson and "I Love You So."
Cole's career started to decline following the release of her 1980 album "Don't Look Back," as her drug addiction problems began to worsen. She topped the charts once again following the release of her 1987 album "Everlasting," which spawned several hit singles. Her 1991 release "Unforgettable" was Cole's top selling album. Cole sang songs that her father had first made famous. The album sold over seven million U.S. copies and won several Grammy Awards. In 1993 she issued "Take a Look, another jazz standards album and in 1996 she released "Stardust." In 2008 Cole released "Still Unforgettable," featuring standards from her father and other artists such as Frank Sinatra.
There's no chance of taking Natalie Cole for granted anymore, at least on her end.
"Any time you get a second chance at anything, you've got to do better," the singer noted after her 2009 kidney transplant, "Second chances don't come often."
That Natalie Cole is not appreciated for the superstar that she is perhaps results from living in the shadow of her uniquely gifted father. She treated all in attendance on Saturday night to an uplifting and enjoyable experience. She shares her fathers vocal phrasing and framing to elicit the ultimate in each song. Appropriately accompanying Natalie was her talented band who performance complimented her voice inflection and total concert sound.
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