Singer Natalie Cole took the audience on a musical odyssey of jazz, pop and R&B at the 2011 Taste of Chicago on June 30. The 61-year-old daughter of legendary crooner Nat “King” Cole is a legend in her own right too. She has eight Grammy Awards to help prove it.
Along the
way, Cole’s life has had twists and turns: drug addiction, hepatitis C and,
recently, a kidney transplant.
Cole
opened her set on the Petrillo Music Stage in Grant Park with jazz standards
Summer Sun and Come Rain or Shine. She even tackled her father’s zippy Route 66
with graceful flair. When an image of Chicago native son Nat “King” Cole
appeared onscreen the crowd cheered. Father and daughter then launched into the
duet Unforgettable from her 1991 album Unforgettable...With Love. As the pair
sang, images of them flashed across the screen.
As rain
clouds loomed, Cole sang and danced to her hits, Tell Me All About It and Mr.
Melody. She showed her voice’s dexterity with R&B classics Sophisticated
Lady and
Annie
Mae. As the rain poured, the crowd
took refuge and sang along to the hits, Inseparable, I’ve Got Love On My Mind.
A minor
setback with equipment didn’t deter Cole, she encouraged the crowd to take
pictures of her while the problem was being fixed. Women clapped and waved
their hands as she sang the torch song, I’m Catching Hell (Living Here
Alone). Cole closed her hourlong
set with 70s chart topper, This Will Be.
Copyright
2011 Chicago Defender
