Search - Nat King Cole :: Dear Lonely Hearts/I Don't Want To Be Hurt Anymore

Forgotten "Classics" thrill again with the Cole treatment!

Dick Bobnick | Burnsville, Minnesota United States | 07/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a joy to hear that magnificent voice of Nat "King" Cole on this dual album CD. It makes one realize more and more what a treasure we had in that man. DEAR LONELY HEARTS showcases the pure, measured voice of Nat performing some long lost classics like "Yearning (Just For You)", "Miss You" and "Oh How I Miss You Tonite" to Belford Hendricks fine arrangements and backed up by one of the best choruses in the business. You know, during the '60's, many of the great singers (Crosby, Sinatra, Como, Williams) recorded with the back up choruses of the Johnny Mann Singers and the Ray Charles Singers among others. Sadly, no one does that anymore. What a loss and a shame. Sadly, the art of good, pure singing waned in the '70's and after and has gradually gotten worse. Today, there are really only a handful of new "pure singers" (just great voices), unadulterated by the affectations of endless boring vocal "runs", poor voice quality and the incessant synthesized background music and drum machines. That small handful includes the wonderful Charlotte Church, Josh Groban, Jane Monheit and Diane Kral to name just a few. With the onset of "American Idol" I am seeing the gradual return of real singing and even more so on "American Juniors" and they are performing more standards.I DON'T WANT TO BE HURT ANYMORE continues in the same great vein. Sadly, this was one of Nat's last albums but there is nary a trace of the illness that would take him in 1965.I would rate this dual disc as prime Nat "King" Cole. Some would refer to it as "easy listening" but I would call it just great music performed by one of the industry's giants.Dick Bobnick"

ANOTHER GREAT TWO FER from Capitol / EMI

Giovanni M. | Chicago, IL | 11/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If we could get Nat's "Cole Italiano" or any of his three Spanish albums on a collection like this, I'd be thrilled! Meantime, we have this great collection. We open with "DEAR LONELY HEARTS", with arrangements by the great Belford Hendricks. Hendricks gave us all the great charts on RAMBLIN' ROSE, which is the counterpart to this album. Some great ones here include "MISS YOU", something of a hit for the McGuire Sisters, "WHY SHOULD I CRY OVER YOU?", treated here with a slight swing tempo and "NEAR YOU", which should be a treat to those of us who only knew this great piece as an instrumental by Roger Williams. The lyrics fit perfectly, and Nat handles this (as anything he ever sang) with class and beauty. While the country/western sound is implied on all the sides here, its interesting to note that not all these songs are of the country and western vein. "LONESOME AND SORRY" does however, and its one of those "one more time!" kind of songs, where the group is arm and arm, singing at last call. The second half of this album contains more of those such songs, only with Ralp Carmichael arrangements. While not in the same class of Nelson Riddle or Gordon Jenkins, Carmichael always wrote excellent charts for Nat. Standouts here include "I'M ALONE BECAUSE I LOVE YOU", "DON'T YOU REMEMBER" and another "one more time" tune, the melodramatic "GO, IF YOU'RE GOING". The orchestras and choruses on all sides here frame Nat's voice perfectly, and considering these albums came late in the game for Nat, he is spectacular form. One of my favorite performers ever, and these albums further that. Listen and enjoy!"

"one classic delivery after another ~ Nat King Cole"

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 01/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Dear Lonely Hearts" and "I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore" gives you 24 of the finest vocals by anyone in musical history...the sound is marvelous stereo...there should have been more like this, but this is it, so cherish the moment...listening to Nat though, is always great...he had a tenderness in his voice, completely flawless...he could never deliver a bad tune...his style and signature of making a song his own has never been duplicated...within this twofer album are songs of the day back in 1962 and 1964...some are timeless and remain classics, while others are songs that have never seen the light of day...but this release is a dream come true...more selections from the greatest entertainer of our time...cause Nat King Cole rules.



You can't go wrong with any of Cole's albums that are now on CD...both are excellent, many are hard-to-find and some not well known...highlights and stand outs are "ALL BYSELF", "ALL OVER THE WORLD", "MISS YOU", "IT'S A LONESOME OLD TOWN WHEN YOU'RE NOT AROUND", "OH, HOW I MISS YOU TONIGHT", "YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING", when it comes to interpretation and expertly performed, Nat is the master at his craft.



The one and only master of interpretation...no other singer in the business had the warmth that this man gave during a performance or recording session...along with Frank Sinatra, Cole built the Capitol Towers and brought them fame and fortune...Nat King Cole in my estimation did more for Capitol Records than any other recording artist of that time (and that my friend is saying something), but is the gospel.



Total Time: 59:03 on 24 Tracks ~ EMI/Int'l 494994 ~ (3/30/1998)"