Nat King Cole

Fusion cuisine is to modern cooking as mash ups are to modern music. Both are able to combine the old with the new. While some may cringe at the concept of taking something that’s already delightful and giving it a bit of a makeover with the introduction of new “ingredients,” it’s a way to adapt in the contemporary world!

On the exhilirating Nat King Cole mash up Re-Generations, the legendary jazz pianist/vocalist returns to the forefront, his throaty, raspy voice seamlessly cut and pasted to appear alongside current stars, including his daughter , Natalie Cole. Super hipsters TV on the Radio and the always hot-to-trot Will.I.Am all got their hands dirty and produced some of Cole’s classic tracks in a distinct, updated way. On Will.I.Am’s redo of “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” Miss Natalie lends her lush pipes, while Tv on the Radio touches up Cole’s classic “Nature Boy.” It’s a touching, fresh and modern way to bring the long-dead Cole back into the public’s consciousness and allows a crop of hip and young acts to “work” with a pioneering artist and really showcase their talents.

While purists and musicologists may balk at such a blasphemous design, mash ups such as this are quite a service to the fans. Not only do these virtual collaborations dust off the catalogues of classic artists who make up the fabric of the music scene thanks to their contributions, but they introduce them to an entirely newer and younger audience who may not have prior experience with the artist. TV on the Radio scorches enough to give you a sunburn, so to have them associated with Cole only aids in exposing a new generation to a still-viable artist. TV on the Radio carefully puts their own touches on their tune, while Will.I.Am is able to include Cole’s daughter singing alongside her father –she did this previously in the 1990s with “Unforgettable”—but rather than having her cover her father’s material in a loyal way, he cuts her voice into his, modernizing and pushing the song forward, which is a testament to the song’s longevity and timeliness; Cole’s voice easily allows for a re-interpretation. Turntablist Cut Chemist’s retooling of “Day In Day Out” is another headturner.

So whether you’re a Nat King Cole diehard or you’ve never heard of him, Re-Generations is worthy, contemporary reminder and introduction. How many records can lay claim to such a feat?

— Amy Sciarretto
04.01.09

Remix or tribute albums are often stodgy affairs, where the work of the artist being celebrated becomes as rigid as if cast in stone, and any artists doing the celebrating check their creativity at the door. Re: Generations, which commemorates Nat King Cole with a work that's half tribute album and half remix album, is a notable exception to this tendency. Not only does it feature a parade of talented names, but the artists make Cole's standards as fluid as water (which the deft pianist and beguiling vocalist would undoubtedly appreciate). Certainly the guests are exactly the types of artists a modern-day Cole would be working with, everyone from the Roots to TV on the Radio to Bebel Gilberto. If anything, the celebrators were overly free with Cole's work, modernizing it and portraying the man in a light that neither he nor his fans would perhaps appreciate. Cee-Lo Green could have done a marvelous job with "Lush Life," rethinking it as a modern torch song better than anything Danger Mouse has covered. Still, about all we learn from his remix are two facts: "I was wrong" and "I'll live a lush life." Contrast that with the original, where the intricate poetry of the lyrics comes together with a definitive reading to form one of Cole's most moving performances. Producer Just Blaze finds an obscure track called "Pick-Up," and casts Cole as a drive-by womanizer, then adds new recordings to capture a modern female's typical response. Others select atypical tracks -- "Calypso Blues," "El Choclo" -- to put their own heavily personalized spin on the work of one of the great vocalists of the 20th century. Granted, there are several successes: the Roots modernize "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" with a loose, dexterous instrumental (then tack on a rap from Black Thought), TV on the Radio take "Nature Boy" to the stars with heavy reverb applied to Cole's vocal, and Detroit post-jazz producer Amp Fiddler explores what "Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere" would sound like in a post-fusion environment like the '70s. Best of all is "Straighten Up and Fly Right," where Natalie Cole duets with her father once more, this time with playful interplay and a wonderfully understated production from will.i.am that doesn't sound conspicuously modern (and even finds room for a sprightly piano solo). As with all tribute albums, the best thing that could happen is if the fans of these artists go back to the original recordings rather than rely on crossover fusions that will become dated far sooner than the best of Nat King Cole's 35 years of recordings. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide