Ask A Woman Who Knows

Description

Ask a Woman Who Knows reunites Natalie Cole with producer Tommy LiPuma, who produced "Unforgettable" and was the hit maker behind George Benson and Diana Krall. This collection is a classic blend of jazz-inflected pop, with the best and the brightest in the business. Backed by a plethora of stars, including trumpeter Roy Hargrove, bassist Christian McBride, pianist Joe Sample and drummer Lewis Nash, Cole delivers her lithe, Ella Fitzgerald-tinged vocals in a number of pleasing settings. Whether it's the Brazilian sound of Sergio Mendes' "So Many Stars," the scat-happy "My Baby Just Cares for Me" or the big band swing of "It's Crazy" and "Soon", courtesy of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, Cole projects her aura on to songs once sung by Sarah Vaughan, Barbara Streisand, Nina Simone, and Dinah Washington. Natalie Cole is a jazzy soul survivor in the literal sense of the term, and this recording represents her finest hour. --Eugene Holley Jr.