Natalie.

Picture it: January 1, 2016. I log on to Facebook on New Years Day and was stunned to see that Natalie Cole had very quietly passed away the day before. At the time, I was living in a homeless shelter (We got 30 days) and the day before, I was humming one of my favorite Cole tunes to myself, “Lovers.” I woke up the next morning to see that she had passed away and was crushed. I didn’t even know she was sick. Yet another hero, someone that had had such a profound impact on my personal journey — gone without me ever having the opportunity to tell her thank you. (2016 didn’t let up; I lost Prince and Ali and I just could NOT for the first 6 months of the year).

I didn’t realize how hard I took her death. Behind Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole is probably my 2nd favorite singer (It’s a mad toss up between Natalie, Patti, Whitney, and Rance but she is definitely in the top 3 — hands down).

I like to sing, I am not the greatest singer, but I shole love to do it. I built my confidence in my voice on sanging the hell out of of “I’m Catching Hell” and “I Can’t Say No” in the privacy of my bedroom and car. I remember the first time I fell in love with Natalie Cole. I was in college — fif year-senior — and was coming home from class sometime in 2009. Joe Bullock was on the radio and I happened to be catching the end of a Natalie Cole tribute — Joe would routinely pick an artist and play 3 or 4 of their hits back to back to back). “Our Love” came on and I was grooving:

Your my morning star, shining brightly beside me…

I turned the radio up just a bit to catch that groove.

Our love,

Will stand as tall as the trees,

Our love,

will spread wide as the seas,

Our love,

will shine bright in night like the stars above,

and we’ll always be together,

Our Love….

I turned it up a little because at this point, she was doing that Natalie thing when she sticks her whole foot in it, and I let it ride. Natalie was breaking it all the way down like a cardboard box:

Ooo, that’s right…

Bring it down, just a little….

She broke it down and I turned it up…again.

Love is soft,

Love is sweet,

Love is nice,

Love is gentle,

Love is joy,

Love is pain,

Love is laughing in the rain.

I’ve got love

On my mind,

Love is always right on time,

Love is you,

Love is me,

Love is just a gentle baby.

I’ve got love on my mind,

Love is always right on time,

Love is you,

Love is me,

Love is going to set you free!”

And then, as only Natalie Cole can do, she broke that thang all the way down…again. By the end of the track, I was hooked.

I dived a little deeper into Natalie’s catalogue that summer. I started with the Natalie Cole standards: “This Will Be, I’ve Got Love On My Mind, Our Love, and Inseparable. If you you do not know where to start with Natalie, these 4 are a good place. Then, I found what I would consider two of the most underrated soul records ever recorded: “I Can’t Say No” and “I’m Catching Hell. As the years went by (and I was introduced to Spotify) my indulgence in the Natalie Cole catalogue did not let up.

The Incomparable Natalie Cole

Every article I came across in Ebony Magazine -every single one — from 1975–1980, mentioned her super famous dad in one way or another. Indeed, her daddy was as Bad & Black as they came. But, this is not about Natalie Cole’s father, it’s about her. One thing about her though: she knew very well that her father’s name carried weight and for some people, probably got them in the seat. She was determined to make sure that it was her who kept them there, though.

Natlie Cole has the Number One Single in the Country. Jet Magazine, 1977.

As her success grew and her sound became that of her own, she stepped out of the shadow of her father and into the shadow of the Queen of Soul. A befitting compliment, but it should be understood that Natalie Cole is a voice and a talent all on her own. As my ears matured, I started to notice that there was some very Aretha Franklin-esque things about Natalie. Maybe it was the way she phrased certain lyrics. Maybe it was her uncanny and innate ability to adlib (One of the best in the business). Perhaps it was the sick background vocalists. There were some similarities. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that when Natalie breaks it down in “This Will Be,” it sounds real close to Aretha’ arrangement of “You Send Me.”

Whatever the case, after Natalie broke Aretha’s Franklin’s Grammy winning streak and was dubbed “The New Queen of Soul,” naturally, the media did their part to fuel a rift between these two incredibly talented and wickedly soulful women -a rift that would last for years and deeply trouble Natalie. (I believe the ‘rift” had more to do with Aretha than Natalie). It probably didn’t help that Natalie’s husband and business partner was a huge fan of The Queen and had actually pitched several songs to her prior to bringing them to Natalie (“This Will Be” was orignally written for Aretha but she turned it down). Always a shining example of class and grace, Natalie Cole had this to say about her “rival”:

Ebony Magazine, 1977

In all of her modesty, Natalie Cole was failing to see something that was painfully obvious: if there was one person who could put the Queen of Soul of notice, it was her. Sadly, we never got to see these two women share a stage — but got close once, tho. Later on down the line, the two women were able to put their differences aside and become friends. Natalie routinely covered Aretha’s hits across the years and even paid tribute to her in 2001. After Natalie passed, Aretha offered up a tribute of her own to her fallen friend. There is no shortage of well-deserving Black women worthy of some type of title in the soul music realm. But, If Aretha is Queen, and Gladys is The Empress; if soul music’s High Priestess is Nina, then Natalie Cole is, and without a shadow of doubt, The First Lady of Soul.

Natalie Cole, The First Lady of Soul.

Natalie Cole was as soulful a singer as they come. When I talk to people my age, or even older adults, if they are able to recognize her, it is from the early 90’s when she ressurected her career singing jazz standards made famous by her father. Her jazz classics are just that: classic. But, you should know that before she was Unforgettable, she was Our Love. Before she took your breath away with an Ella standard, she took you to church with Keep Smilin’. Big hair, bright eyes, and a soaring soprano that made you stop and listen, Natalie Cole was a Black singer. I say that because there always tends to be the need to “center” Black artist after they pass. It is as if Black artist who sang Black music cannot be remembered for singing Black music. They tried to white wash Michael. They tried to white wash Prince. They tried to white wash Whitney. Natalie, was a Black singer and she sang Black music and I don’t ever want you to forget. She was as versatile as they came, often packing her albums with soul, R&B, jazz, pop, and funk. Natalie Cole was a hit maker. Natalie Cole sang in the tradition of other great soul singers and should be celebrated among the best of them: Aretha Franklin, Issac Hayes, Betty Wright, James Brown, Gladys Knight, Otis Redding, Ester Phillips. and Curtis Mayfield.

I have been piecing this together since the day she died-trying to figure out a way to honor her in my own special way. I hope this wil do. One of these days, perhaps somebody will give her the tribute she so deserves. Who knows, it may just be me.

The Only Natalie Cole Playlist You’ll Ever Need

#Love #Inspiration #Homeless #Music #Memories