Nat King Cole - Love Is the Thing (And More)

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Music reviews of Love Is the Thing (And More)

Music Review: When a good man sings great songs...
Rating: 5 Stars

Yes, "When I Fall in Love" has been done to death. Still, the original survives and surpasses all imitators. "Stardust" is haunting, with a simple, aching beauty that I've rarely found outside of dramatic film scores. Musically, it's sort of a Bernard Herrmann ("Psycho," "Fahrenheit 451") ballad. If you haven't heard it before, it'll hurt you the first time. It'll heal you every time after that. The songs are quite similar in pace and style, which is natural given the orchestra and one singer.

People my age and younger (the grandkids of most Nat King Cole fans) are bombarded with music that either dwells on or plainly celebrates hatred and anger. When this album came out in 1957, that was not the ideal time for a black man to sing to packed theatres and assert his dignity. They needed his songs then, and we can sure use them now.

Six of the songs have "love" in the title. Nowadays, that suggests writer's block. The album is called "Love Is The Thing" - cut the guy some slack. He was just staying on topic. The lyrics never stray from the idea that love is there to be had, and to be lost.

My parents loved this stuff while they were in the world. When I have a chance to stop running around chasing the day into the night, I'm finding comfort in Cole's music. Put on this CD, and the desparate veneer of the 21st century falters - you'll catch yourself believing that Love Is The Thing...

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