This is a concept album dedicated to the Great American Songbook, specifically songs made famous by Natalie’s father, Nat King Cole.
The album includes 22 songs, most famously:
Release Year: 1991 Label: Elektra Records Key Track: "Unforgettable" (Duet with Nat King Cole)
In the landscape of early 1990s pop, dominated by the rise of hip-hop, the grit of grunge, and the polished sheen of adult contemporary, one album achieved a seemingly impossible feat: it made the Great American Songbook cool again.
Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable… with Love was not just a covers album; it was a cultural event. Released on Elektra Records, the project saw the R&B hitmaker step away from the synthesizers and drum machines of her 1980s success to embrace the orchestral jazz standards made famous by her father, Nat King Cole. The result was a critical and commercial juggernaut that swept the Grammy Awards and introduced a timeless catalog of music to a brand-new generation.
Since you included the tag "elektrarar" (likely referring to the Elektra Records release or a rare pressing), this guide focuses on the audiophile appreciation, track-by-track analysis, and physical collecting aspects of Natalie Cole’s masterpiece, "Unforgettable... with Love" (1991).
This album is a landmark in audio engineering and a triumph of musical legacy.
In 1990, Natalie Cole was at a crossroads. Despite early success as an R&B star ("This Will Be," "I've Got Love on My Mind"), the late 1980s had been less kind. Drug addiction and label disputes had stalled her momentum. Her then-manager, and future husband, Andre Fischer, proposed a radical idea: a tribute album to her father, who died of lung cancer in 1965 when Natalie was just 15.
The concept was risky. A pop/R&B singer tackling the Great American Songbook, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra? The label, Elektra Records, was hesitant. But Cole was determined. The result was a 22-track double LP (and later, a single CD) featuring classics like "The Very Thought of You," "Mona Lisa," "L-O-V-E," and the titular "Unforgettable."
For the casual fan, Unforgettable... With Love is a beautiful album of timeless songs. For the dedicated collector, the search for the Natalie Cole Unforgettable With Love 1991 Elektrarar is a quest to hold a small, unique piece of that history. Whether it’s a misprint, a promo, or a phantom pressing from a forgotten plant, the "Elektrarar" reminds us that in the age of streaming, the physical object still holds power.
So next time you see a used copy of Natalie Cole’s masterpiece, don’t just look at the cover. Flip it over. Read the fine print. You just might be holding the elusive "Elektrarar"—a beautiful mistake in an otherwise perfect album.
Key Listening: "Unforgettable" (Duet), "Mona Lisa," "The Very Thought of You." Key Search Terms: Natalie Cole, Unforgettable With Love, 1991, Elektra Records, rare vinyl, promo LP, misprint CD, audiophile.
Unforgettable... with Love is not merely a tribute album; it is a landmark recording in popular music history. It reconciled Natalie Cole with her father’s musical ghost, won multiple Grammys, sold over 10 million copies, and changed how the recording industry approached both archival material and the standards genre. Even with “Elektrarar” being a likely misspelling, the album’s identity is unmistakably tied to Elektra Records and its legacy as a 1991 masterpiece.
Sources (suggested for further reading):
Natalie Cole's Unforgettable... with Love , released on June 11, 1991, under Elektra Records natalie cole unforgettable with love 1991 elektrarar
, is a tribute album where she covers jazz and pop standards previously performed by her father, Nat King Cole. Key Album Details Significance:
It served as Natalie's 12th studio album and her debut for Elektra after leaving EMI. Commercial Success: The album spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold over seven million copies in the U.S.. Award Recognition: It won seven Grammy Awards
in 1992, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Production:
Features arrangements by David Foster, Andre Fischer, and Ray Brown, among others. Track List The standard version of the album contains 22 tracks: The Very Thought of You (It's Only A) Paper Moon This Can't Be Love That Sunday That Summer Orange Colored Sky Medley: For Sentimental Reasons / Tenderly / Autumn Leaves Straighten Up and Fly Right Don't Get Around Much Anymore Nature Boy Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup Almost Like Being in Love Thou Swell Non Dimenticar Our Love Is Here to Stay Unforgettable (Duet with Nat King Cole) — Uses electronic mixing to pair their vocals Audiophile Audition Recent Reissues A 30th-anniversary reissue was released by Craft Recordings in 2022, featuring remastered audio and bonus tracks like " Cottage for Sale Audiophile Audition vinyl availability background stories on a particular track from this album?
In the winter of 1991, the music world was still recovering from a seismic shift. Grunge was crawling out of Seattle, hip-hop was claiming its throne, and the glossy pop of the '80s was crumbling like old paint. It was an odd time for a 41-year-old singer to release an album of her dead father’s old standards.
But Natalie Cole had a ghost to chase.
The project was titled Unforgettable… with Love. Elektra Records, her label, had initially balked. "Standards?" the executives asked. "Nat, you’re a funk-soul diva. You gave us 'This Will Be.' You don’t do Cole Porter."
Natalie just smiled. She knew the ghost.
The studio was a dimly lit room in Los Angeles. A 24-track analog board hummed with warmth. Natalie stood behind a vintage Neumann microphone, wearing a simple black dress and her father’s old signet ring on a chain around her neck. The producer, Tommy LiPuma, nodded from the booth.
"Let's try 'Unforgettable' again," he said softly. "But this time, don't sing at him. Sing with him."
They rolled tape. The orchestra—arranged with lush, romantic strings by Nelson Riddle’s old protégé—began the familiar, slow climb of chords. Then came Nat King Cole’s voice, isolated from a 1961 master tape, warm as bourbon, floating through Natalie’s headphones: “Unforgettable… that’s what you are…”
Natalie closed her eyes. She was five years old again, sitting on the living room floor of the Hancock Park house, watching her father practice at the piano. She remembered the way his hands hovered over the keys like they were blessing them. She remembered the Camel cigarettes and the quiet cough he tried to hide. She remembered December 15, 1965—the day the man with the velvet voice went silent.
She opened her mouth.
“Unforgettable… though near or far…” This is a concept album dedicated to the
Her voice entered the left channel. His voice lived in the right. The engineer, Al Schmitt, had worked magic—aligning the tempos, matching the keys, making a dead man breathe again. But the real magic was Natalie’s restraint. She didn’t imitate. She didn't compete. She leaned into the space between their voices like a daughter leaning in for a hug.
Halfway through the song, she hit the line: “Never before… has someone been more…”
Her voice cracked—just a hair, just a human moment of grief. She didn’t stop. She let the tear fall onto the mixing console. In the booth, LiPuma took off his headphones and wiped his own eyes.
When the final note faded—“in every way… and forever more…”—silence filled the room. Not the silence of a mistake. The silence of something finished.
Natalie opened her eyes and whispered to no one: “Did I get it right, Daddy?”
The engineer played back the take. And for three minutes and twenty-nine seconds, Nat King Cole was alive again, duetting with his daughter across the divide of death.
The album was released on June 11, 1991. It debuted at number 65 on the Billboard 200. Critics were kind but cautious. Then something strange happened. Word of mouth spread. Grandparents bought it. Their children borrowed it. College students who had never heard of "Straighten Up and Fly Right" found themselves humming it.
By Christmas, Unforgettable… with Love was number one. It sold over seven million copies in the U.S. alone. It won seven Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for that impossible duet.
At the Grammy ceremony, Natalie stood at the podium, holding the gold gramophone. She looked up at the ceiling—or beyond it.
“This is for you, Daddy,” she said. “For teaching me that a song isn’t just notes. It’s a place where people who love each other never have to say goodbye.”
And somewhere—in the grooves of a vinyl record, in the static of an old radio, in the quiet of a living room where a daughter sang with her father’s ghost—the music played on.
Unforgettable… that’s what you are.
Natalie Cole achieved what many in the music industry thought was impossible: she successfully transitioned from a contemporary R&B star to a jazz chanteuse by embracing the shadow of her legendary father, Nat King Cole . Her twelfth studio album, Unforgettable… With Love , released under Elektra Records
, became a cultural phenomenon that defined a new era of "virtual duets" and revived interest in the Great American Songbook. A Bold Departure In 1990, Natalie Cole was at a crossroads
Before 1991, Natalie Cole had largely avoided her father's repertoire to establish her own identity in soul and pop. However, her debut for
saw her dive headfirst into his catalog. At a time when grunge and hip-hop were beginning to dominate the airwaves, a 22-track collection of mid-century jazz standards was a massive gamble that her own label initially feared would not sell. The Technological Marvel: "Unforgettable"
Album Review: Natalie Cole, “Unforgettable…With Love” (1991)
Released on June 11, 1991, Unforgettable... with Love is the twelfth studio album by Natalie Cole
and a tribute to the legendary standards made famous by her father, Nat King Cole. It served as her debut for Elektra Records and became the most successful album of her career, selling over 7 million copies in the US and more than 14 million worldwide. 🏆 Key Achievements
Grammy Success: Swept the 1992 Grammy Awards with 7 wins, including Album of the Year.
Historical Milestone: Natalie Cole became the first African-American woman to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Chart-Topper: Spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
The "Virtual Duet": The title track used multitrack technology to create a duet between Natalie and her late father, winning Record of the Year. 💿 Tracklist
The original release contains 22 tracks of jazz and pop standards: The Very Thought of You André Fischer Paper Moon Tommy LiPuma André Fischer David Foster André Fischer This Can't Be Love André Fischer André Fischer David Foster That Sunday That Summer David Foster Orange Colored Sky Tommy LiPuma Medley: For Sentimental Reasons / Tenderly / Autumn Leaves Tommy LiPuma Straighten Up and Fly Right André Fischer David Foster Don't Get Around Much Anymore André Fischer David Foster Nature Boy André Fischer Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup André Fischer Almost Like Being in Love David Foster Thou Swell André Fischer Non Dimenticar Tommy LiPuma Our Love Is Here to Stay André Fischer Unforgettable (Duet with Nat King Cole) David Foster 🎹 Musical Credits Producers: David Foster, André Fischer, and Tommy LiPuma.
Special Guest: Natalie's uncle, Ike Cole, provides piano accompaniment on several tracks.
Style: Features lush orchestration, big band arrangements, and intimate small-group jazz settings. 💡 Looking for something specific? I can help you find:
8. Unforgettable (Duet with Nat King Cole)