Natalie Cole en Españolis a final studio album byNatalie Cole,released on June 25, 2013 throughVerve Records.[1]Produced by the Cuban American composerRudy Pérez,it is her first and onlySpanishalbum and her first record released following her kidney transplant in 2009.[2]The album is a follow-up to her thirdChristmas albumCaroling, Caroling: Christmas with Natalie Cole.Natalie Cole en Españolconsists of twelve tracks, which are cover versions of Spanish standards. The album features duets withJuan Luis Guerra,Chris Botti,Arthur Hanlon,Andrea Bocelliand a posthumous duet with her fatherNat King Cole.
| Natalie Cole en Español | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | June 25, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Latin ballads | |||
| Length | 43:55 | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Producer | Rudy Pérez | |||
| Natalie Colechronology | ||||
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Background
editOne of the really cool things that Rudy said to me was, 'I'm not looking for you to become Spanish or Latin. I need you to still be Natalie Cole.'
—Cole talking toLos Angeles Timesabout the recording process for the album[2]
Cole had expressed interest in recording a Spanish album for nearly a decade but her labelCapitolrejected her pitch and told her "the timing wasn't right".David Foster,with whom she had previously worked with onUnforgettable... with Love(1991), encouraged to attempt to record the album again.[3]Cole cited Salvadoran nurse Esther as one of the primary influences for the recording of the album. Cole received a kidney transplant from Esther's niece in 2009 and referred to her connection with the nurse as causing her to be "drawn even more to Latin people, Latin programs".[2]She added her connection to the Salvadoran family led her to "feel like [she's] part Latino now" and "(made) the desire to make this record become even stronger".[3]
Weary of comparisons to her father's 1958 Spanish albumCole Español,Cole described her album as "not [being] a tribute to my father as much as it is a tribute to Latin music because of my father".[3]During the recording of the album, Pérez served as Cole's language coach.[4]Cole said "Black people and Hispanic people have the same kind of feel for passion, for music, for fun, for heart." She expressed a love for language by listing "I love French... I love Portuguese, I love Italiano[,]" but emphasized that "for [her] right now is Español".[5]
In the recording sessions, Pérez translated the lyrics into English to allow Cole to capture the emotions of the songs. Cole recalled on the first days of recording that she cried as "the translation of these Spanish lyrics is like poetry." When listening to the album, she found that "[she] liked [her]self singing in Spanish". She compared the recording process to that ofUnforgettable... with Loveas it allowed her to step out of her comfort zone to create what she viewed as art.[6]
Reception
editCritical response
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [7] |
| JazzTimes | (favorable)[8] |
Natalie Cole en Españolreceived generally favorable reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman ofAllMusicdescribed the album as not being "a mere throwback to a brief phase in Nat's career". Kellman called it "a likable diversion from her norm" and commended her for using zest to make up for her lack of fluency.[7]JazzTimes' Christopher Loudon commended Cole's "deeper emotional connection to the lyrics" in comparison to her father's Spanish albums. Loudon praised the album as "all slickly grand-scale, yet it works satisfyingly well".[8]Soultracks' Justin Kantor wrote that the album is "a polished set largely comprised ofbaladas romanticaswith sweeping orchestration and spicy, yet decidedly controlled, vocal performances ". Kantor found certain songs required" a tad more rhythmic creativity and free-spirited singing ", but recommended the overall product to her fans.[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Frenesí" | Alberto Borras Domínguez | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Voy A Apagar La Luz / Contigo Aprendí (Medley)" | Armando Manzanero | 4:06 |
| 3. | ""Acércate Más (Come Closer to Me)""(featuringNat King Cole) | Osvaldo Farrés | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Mañana De Carnaval" | 3:08 | |
| 5. | "Bésame Mucho"(featuringAndrea Bocelli) | Consuelo Velázquez | 4:02 |
| 6. | "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" | Osvaldo Farrés | 2:27 |
| 7. | "Solamente Una Vez" | Agustín Lara | 2:30 |
| 8. | "Oye Como Va(Medley) "(featuringArthur Hanlon) |
| 4:59 |
| 9. | "Yo Lo Amo (And I Love Him) "(featuringChris Botti) | Lennon/McCartney | 4:25 |
| 10. | "El Día Que Me Quieras" | 4:28 | |
| 11. | "Bachata Rosa" (featuringJuan Luis Guerra) | Juan Luis Guerra | 4:02 |
| 12. | "Amapola" | Joseph Maria Lacalle | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 43:55 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado"(featuringArturo Sandoval) | 3:37 | |
| Total length: | 47:32 | ||
Personnel
edit- Natalie Cole– lead vocals
- Ana Cristina – additional backing vocals
- Casey Cole – additional backing vocals
- Timolin Cole – additional backing vocals
- Nat King Cole– sampled vocals (3)
- Andrea Bocelli– lead vocals (5)
- Jochem van der Saag – programming
- Clay Perry – acoustic piano (1, 6, 7)
- Rudy Pérez– acoustic piano (2, 3, 4, 9, 10), additional keyboards (8), keyboards (12), additional backing vocals
- Arthur Hanlon– acoustic piano (8)
- Janina Rosado – acoustic piano (11), synthesizers (11), synthesizer programming (11)
- Juan Vicente Zambrano – additional keyboards (8)
- Rene Toledo –nylon guitar(1, 12), guitars (2)
- Brian Monroney – additional guitars (1, 12), guitars (2, 3, 4, 6-10)
- Juan Luis Guerra– electric guitar (11), lead vocals (11), choir vocals
- Ramón Stagnaro– acoustic guitar (11)
- Julio Hernandez – bass (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12)
- Chuck Bergeron– upright bass (3, 7)
- Abednego DeLos Santos – bass (11)
- Orlando Hernandez – drums (1-4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
- Eduardo Rodriguez – percussion (1-4, 6-10)
- Juan De La Cruz –bongos(11),maracas(11)
- Isidro Bobadilla –chimes
- Mike Brignola – baritone saxophone (1, 6-9)
- Gary Keller– alto saxophone (1, 6-9)
- Ed Calle– tenor saxophone (1, 3, 6-9)
- Nadine Asin –flute(4, 7)
- Paul Green –clarinet(7)
- John Kricker – trombone (1, 6-9)
- Francisco Dimus – flugelhorn, trumpet
- Jim Hacker – trumpet (1, 6-9)
- Chris Botti– trumpet solo (9)
- Victor Mitrov – trumpet (11)
String section
- Violins – Priscilla Gomez, Giorni Liriano, Guillermo Mota, Beckyrene Perez and Rosanna Rosario
- Cellos – Milena Zigkovic and Georgina Betancourt
- Violas – Anaris Iznaga and Alberto Iznaga
- Concertmaster – Glenn Basham
Charts and certifications
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Certificationsedit
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References
edit- ^"Natalie Cole en Español by Natalie Cole".iTunes.RetrievedJuly 19,2013.
- ^abcJohnson, Reed (August 12, 2013)."A reunion decades in the making for Natalie Cole, Chucho Valdés".The Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJanuary 7,2014.
- ^abcCobo, Leila (January 1, 2016)."A Look Back at Natalie Cole's Final Album, 'Natalie Cole En Español'".Billboard.RetrievedJanuary 9,2016.
- ^Reed, James (August 1, 2013)."Natalie Cole Cuts Spanish Album".The Boston Globe.RetrievedJanuary 9,2016.
- ^"Natalie Cole En Español: Singer Releases Debut Spanish Album".The Huffington Post.RetrievedJanuary 9,2016.
- ^"Natalie Cole En Español".YouTube.RetrievedJanuary 9,2016.
- ^abAndy Kellman (June 25, 2013)."Natalie Cole En Español Review".AllMusic.RetrievedJanuary 10,2016.
- ^abChristopher Loudon (October 24, 2013)."Natalie Cole: Cole En Español Review".JazzTimes.RetrievedJanuary 16,2016.
- ^Justin Kantor (2013)."Natalie Cole En Español Review".Soultracks.RetrievedJanuary 10,2016.
- ^"Natalie Cole ARIA Chart history (1988 to 2024)".ARIA.RetrievedJuly 28,2024– via Imgur.N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^"Top Stranih [Top Foreign]"(in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^"Oficjalna lista sprzedaży:: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart".OLiS.Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.Retrieved September 1, 2013.
- ^"Natalie Cole Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^"Natalie Cole Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^"Natalie Cole Chart History (Latin Pop Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^"Natalie Cole Chart History (Top Latin Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^"Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2013 roku"(in Polish).Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.Retrieved20 April2021.