by Scott Yanow
This 1996 gold audiophile CD reissue of a 1956 Nat &King& Cole vocal set is augmented by three numbers taken from his similar 1963 album Where Did Everyone Go? By the mid-'50s, Cole was primarily known to the general public as a superb ballad vocalist, and he sticks exclusively to that role on these 15 selections, which include &When I Fall in Love,& &Stardust,& &Love Letters,& and &When Sunny Gets Blue.& On both dates, he is accompanied by a string orchestra arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins, so the jazz content is quite low. However, listeners who want to hear why Nat &King& Cole was so popular during the era (and those who love the sound of his voice) will enjoy this fine reissue.