Leavin' (album)

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Leavin' is the 12th studio album by American recording artist Natalie Cole, released on September 26, 2006, by Verve Records. The album consists of ten cover versions of various R&B and pop songs and two original songs: "5 Minutes Away" and "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)". It was the second of Cole's albums to be released by Verve Records, and her first album in four years, following Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002). Cole promoted the album as a return to her R&B roots, distancing herself from an identification as a jazz artist.

Critics gave the album generally positive reviews, praising Cole's interpretations of the covered material, and compared her favorably to contemporary R&B artists. The album peaked at number 97 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, and charted in Germany and Switzerland. It spawned one single – Cole's cover of Aretha Franklin's 1972 song "Day Dreaming" – with an accompanying music video. She performed the song at the BET special An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha Franklin. She embarked on a theatre tour in the fall of 2006 to support the album.

Background and recording

Co-executive producer David Munk said that the idea for the record started after his suggestion that Cole "return to her R&B roots by recording an intimate, classic soul CD with a small group of sidemen and simple production". Munk served as an executive producer for the album. He viewed the recording sessions in Atlanta as eclectic and described Cole's ambition: "[S]he shared with me her hope of making a country-soul record in Memphis; she also spoke of doing a piano-voice album and of recording in Spanish".[1] In an interview with American Songwriter, Cole said the album "was born out of desperation" to record a pop and urban project rather than a jazz one. She sought to avoid being typecast as a jazz singer by returning to R&B and demanding more artistic control. By being an arranger on the album, she said the recording sessions reminded her of how she: "missed the freedom ... ad-libbing, you know, and being able to holler every now and then ... all of that energy".[2] She initially looked for original songs to record for the album, but said "the songs being sent were pretty bad." A writer from Vibe said Cole's decision to create a covers album was a marketing strategy to breed "a connection between song and interpreter and between singer and audience" and appeal to "fans yearning for the good old days before they had to hire a sitter to go see a show".[3] Cole later clarified she could not afford to record an album of original material, explaining "we're doing a contemporary urban record on a jazz budget".[4]

While promoting the album, Cole said "R&B, rock and pop has always been my forte" and called the music something she wished she had recorded "at least five years ago". She revealed her dissatisfaction with being labeled a jazz singer and her desire to showcase her versatility as an artist, saying she aimed to "put out some music that we hadn't heard in a long time from anybody, really".[5] The project was Cole's first collaboration with R&B producer Dallas Austin.[2] Rashod Ollison of The Virginian-Pilot wrote the album represented how "[Cole] had hung up the gowns and returned to her soul roots"; in past performances, Cole would wear gowns when singing jazz.[6] During the production of the album, Verve Records stipulated that it must include original material. One of the two new songs "Five Minutes Away" was based on Cole's experiences with Austin and keyboard player Chanz Parkman.[7] Prior to the album's release, CBS News' Caitlin Johnson wrote that it was "a sharp turn for a woman perhaps best known for singing jazz standards." She connected the project to Cole's decision to reinvent herself, saying that its title represented "leaving the past behind".[8]

Composition

Leavin' is a contemporary R&B and pop music album consisting of twelve tracks, with an additional remix on digital copies. Cole said the material "has given me the opportunity to explore the greatness in the songs of some of our most talented and gifted songwriters," emphasizing the album's "fresh new twist on some great music".[10]

The album opens with Cole's cover of Fiona Apple's "Criminal" (1997). Len Righi of The Morning Call wrote that she was surprised at Cole's ability to transform the "agonizing, brazen lament" into "a funky, Tina Turner-type, rump-shaker."[9] The second track is a cover of Neil Young's 1972 single "Old Man"; David Munk called it "a personal rumination on her father".[1] The third song, a cover of Aretha Franklin's "Day Dreaming" (1972), was recorded after Austin sang it in the studio. Cole said she "added a little bit of a hip-hop feel to it".[7] Richard Harrington of The Washington Post felt that the fourth track, a cover of Shelby Lynne's "Leavin'" (1999), "metaphorically put a little distance between the original R&B diva and the pop star Cole".[11] The fifth song is a cover of Ronnie Dyson's 1976 track "The More You Do it (The More I Like It Done to Me)"; NPR's Jason King attributes the inclusion of "the saucy but largely forgotten Yancy-Jackson mid-'70s track" to his suggestion to Cole's A&R director.[12] The song contains a homage to Cole's 1975 single "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)".[13] The seventh track is a cover of Dobie Gray's 1973 single "Loving Arms" (here titled "Lovin' Arms"), which Verve Records marketed as inspired by Etta James, allowing Cole "the opportunity to move back to her 70's roots with rich, shimmering vocals".[14]

Donna Kimura of Jazzreview.com called Cole's funky approach to the eighth track on the album, a cover of Bonnie Raitt's "Love Letter", as "a worthy, fresh interpretation instead of a copy".[15] "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" (1978) was described as an "ethereal" take on the Kate Bush song.[2] Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone highlighted the original song "5 Minutes Away" as one of Natalie Cole's top ten essential songs, calling it "a wise rumination on love and life accented by dry horns and capped with a rousing call-and-response".[16] The tenth track is the original song "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)", written by Cole, Ernie Isley, and Chris Jasper. Cole explained that she included the cover of Des'ree's "You Gotta Be" (1994) as the eleventh song on the album due to the positive fan response to her prior performances of it; she described it as an example of her experimentation with "bringing a jazzy flavor to some pop songs".[17] The album concludes with a cover of Sting's "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" (1993), which emphasizes its spiritual context through the addition of four Beatitudes.[7] An acoustic version of "Lovin' Arms" featuring American blues musician Keb' Mo' was included as a digital bonus track.[18]

Release and promotion

Leavin' was first released by Verve Records on CD and MP3 download in the United States on September 26, 2006. In 2010, it was made available in Europe, Indonesia, and Russia on CD.[19] To promote the album, Cole was slated to appear on "a number of major morning and late night television programs" to perform "several intimate showcases" of her music. She also embarked on a theater tour in the fall of 2006.[14] It was her first club-sized tour in roughly two decades.[20] Cole had chosen to sing her 1970s hits in an attempt to draw more R&B fans.[6] She also decided to perform every song from the record, saying she couldn't "remember when a performer took a whole album and performed it onstage".[20]

"Day Dreaming" was released as the lead single from the album on August 1, 2006.[21] Director Doug Biro shot the accompanying music video, which features Cole singing with her band in front of a white background.[22] The song earned Cole a nomination at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, but she lost to Mary J. Blige for her 2005 single "Be Without You".[23] Cole performed "Day Dreaming" at the BET special An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha Franklin along with an arrangement of Franklin's 1970 single "Call Me".[24]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[25]
BBCfavorable[26]
News24 [27]

Leavin' received positive reviews from music critics. The album was called a "treat for any Cole fan" by Andy Kellman of AllMusic, who drew attention to how it sounds like it was recorded at a "leisurely pace". Continuing this thought, Kellman noted that Cole was "breez[ing] through an easygoing set of covers".[25] The BBC's Chris Rogers defined the album as "an ultra smooth mix of standards both tasteful and obtuse".[26] Jay S. Jacobs of PopEntertainment.com compared Leavin' to Cole's 1999 release, Snowfall on the Sahara, and viewed it as "jazzy but decidedly more modern and surprisingly strong".[28] People's Ralph Novak, Chuck Arnold, V. R. Peterson, and Monica Rizzo commended Cole's decision to "ditch the evening-gown fare on her new CD" by recording more contemporary songs.[29] Gugu Mkhabela from News24 awarded the album three out of five stars, describing the material as "pure old school with a modern twist", with Cole providing "a touch of class and some depth to boot".[27]

Critics compared Leavin's to works by other R&B artists. Rogers wrote that it was a perfect fit for listeners of Joss Stone and Jamie Cullum[26] Daniel Garrett of The Compulsive Reader listed the record alongside Ella Fitzgerald's The Best of the Song Books (1993) and Diana Ross' Blue (2006), praising each woman as the "three ladies of song".[30] Honolulu Star-Bulletin's Gary C.W. Chun favorably compared Leavin' to Gladys Knight's Before Me (2006).[31] Rogers wrote that Cole's vocal performance demonstrated a "tasteful restraint" and was an improvement over contemporary artists. He felt that Cole's voice was better than the "modulated warbling that seems to pass for contemporary R&B these days".[26]

The album reached a peak position of number 97 on the Billboard 200, and spent two weeks on the chart.[32] It also peaked Billboard's R&B Albums at number 16, spending eight weeks on the chart.[33] In Germany, the album peaked on the German Album Charts at number 92.[34] In Switzerland, it reached a peak position of number 76 on the Swiss Album Charts.[35] Two years following its release, the album had sold roughly 57,000 copies.[36]

Track listing

  • Writing and production credits for the songs are taken from the booklet of Leavin'. Dallas Austin produced every track except "You Gotta Be", which was done by Natalie Cole.[37]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Criminal"Fiona Apple4:04
2."Old Man"Neil Young4:35
3."Day Dreaming"Aretha Franklin3:34
4."Leavin'"Shelby Lynne3:48
5."The More You Do it (The More I Like It Done to Me)"Marvin Yancy3:25
6."Lovin' Arms"Tom Jans3:48
7."Love Letter"Bonnie Hayes3:49
8."The Man with the Child in His Eyes"Kate Bush4:53
9."5 Minutes Away"Dallas Austin, Natalie Cole4:21
10."Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)"Natalie Cole, Ernie Isley, Chris Jasper5:40
11."You Gotta Be"Des'ree, Ashley Ingram3:45
12."If I Ever Lose My Faith in You"Sting5:38
Total length:52:13
Leavin' – (Digital Bonus Track)[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Lovin' Arms" (featuring Keb' Mo') (Keb' Mo' Acoustic Version)Tom Jans4:44
Total length:56:57

Credits

The following credits are adapted from AllMusic:[38]

Managerial

Performance credits

Visuals and imagery

Instruments

Technical and production

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
German Album Charts[34] 92
Swiss Album Charts[35] 76
US Billboard 200[32] 97
US R&B Albums[33] 16

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Worldwide January 1, 2006 (2006-01-01) MP3[39] Verve Records
September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26) Audio CD[19]

References

  1. ^ a b Munk, David (January 14, 2016). "See You In The Music, Natalie Cole". The Huffington Post. Verizon. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Freeland, David (November 1, 2006). "Natalie Cole: Honor & Tribute « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. ForASong Media, LLC. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016.
  3. ^ "Something Borrowed, Something Blue". Vibe. Spin Media. December 2006. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Lee, Chris (June 18, 2006). "To Cole, a change is unregrettable". Los Angeles Times. Tronc, Inc. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016.
  5. ^ "Natalie Cole resists pressure to stay with smooth jazz". PopMatters. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b Ollison, Rasod (June 21, 2012). "All the events happening in Hampton Roads under one site". HamptonRoads.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b c "A New Direction for Natalie Cole". WBUR-FM. Boston University. December 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Johnson, Caitlin (September 24, 2006). "Natalie Cole leaves the past behind". CBS News. CBS Broadcasting Inc. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b Righi, Len. "Natalie Cole". The Morning Call. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "A New Direction for Natalie Cole". NPR. December 12, 2006. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Harrington, Richard (July 20, 2007). "Singer Natalie Cole Has Come Full Circle". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ King, Jason (January 1, 2016). "Natalie Cole: Underappreciated But Never Forgotten". NPR. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016.
  13. ^ Billboard. Eldridge Industries. September 30, 2006. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  14. ^ a b "Natalie Cole Biography (Verve Records)". Verve Records. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  15. ^ Kimura, Donna. "Leavin by Natalie Cole". Jazzreview.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017.
  16. ^ ""5 Minutes Away" (2006) - Natalie Cole: 10 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Archived from the original on January 4, 2016.
  17. ^ Diehl, Digby (May 1, 2008). This Will Be An Amazing Show. Rotary International. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Leavin' - Natalie Cole: Swiss Album Charts". iTunes (US). September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ a b "Amazon: Leavin'". Amazon.com. January 3, 2016. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ a b Roura, Phil (October 8, 2006). "Cole's Got It Covered: Natalie channels Aretha, Neil Young and Fiona Apple at Caesars". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "Day Dreaming". Verve Records. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013.
  22. ^ "Day Dreaming". Amazon.com. December 19, 2006. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Complete list of Grammy nominees". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. December 8, 2006. p. 3. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Horvitz, Louis J. (Director) (January 27, 2007). An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha Franklin (TV special). United States: Black Entertainment Television (BET). {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  25. ^ a b Kellman, Andy (September 26, 2006). "Leavin' - Natalie Cole | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ a b c d Jones, Chris (September 26, 2006). "It's time to move over and let Natalie show how it's done..." BBC. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ a b Mkhabela, Gugu (July 2, 2007). "Natalie Cole Leavin'". News24. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Jacobs, Jay S. (September 25, 2008). "Natalie Cole CD Review". Popentertainment.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016.
  29. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Natalie Cole". People. Time Inc. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ Garrett, Daniel (December 29, 2006). "Excellence, Three Ladies of Song: Ella Fitzgerald's Best of the Song Books, Diana Ross's Blue, and Natalie Cole's Leavin'". The Compulsive Reader. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Chun, Gary C.W. (October 13, 2006). "Cover albums from 2 great songbirds". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Oahu Publications Inc. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ a b "Leavin' - Natalie Cole: Billboard 200". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016.
  33. ^ a b "Leavin' - Natalie Cole | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ a b "Leavin' - Natalie Cole: German Album Charts". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ a b "Leavin' - Natalie Cole: Swiss Album Charts". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016.
  36. ^ Lewis, Randy (October 28, 2008). "Sickness can't stop her music". Los Angeles Times. Tronc, Inc. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ Leavin' (Inlay cover). Natalie Cole. Verve Records. September 26, 2006.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. ^ "Credits". AllMusic. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016.
  39. ^ "Leavin'". Apple Music. January 1, 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links

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