Few artists have as much of a enduring impact on the last century of music as Nat King Cole. Forty years after his death, Cole's music continues to cross barriers, help elevate recorded music to the next level and motivate a slew of present-day music legends.
Compiled into a 15-cut blend of the best genres in music, RE:GENERATIONS features celebrated artists of hip-hop, rock, reggae and Latin music. To name a few, C ee-Lo, Natalie Cole, Will.i.am, Nas, The Roots, Damian Marley and a host of other artists and producers have taken Cole's best recordings and remade them into a modern sound.
"Lush Life" features additional drumming, courtesy of producer Cee-Lo Green, but uses fewer lyrics than Cole's original song. The new version has a neo-soul feel and is mostly an instrumental track with repeated vocals by Cole.
The original song, "Straighten Up and Fly Right" features Cole scatting to the sounds of a piano. On this album, Will.i.am adds percussions to transform the song into a more upbeat duet.
DJ Cut-Chemist has altered the classic "Day In-Day Out," scratching Cole's voice over turntables. This progressive trend fuses modern day music with the older styling reminiscent of Cole.
"The Game of Love" is not too different from the original recording. However, the sound quality has been enhanced thanks to the taut production of the song by hip-hop legend Nas, adding bass to produce a stellar verse.
"The look in your eye you infatuated with love/ It's my swag you caught up/ Pardon my intrusion/ Love is an Illusion/ How can you get a clear sight of what you're losin? / Yet how could you fear life at the same time?"
The track "Calypso Blues" replaces African drums with percussion and handclaps, while encapsulating the sounds of Stephen and Damian Marley. This modern twist gives the song a fast paced dance worthy rhythm.
"Walkin' My Baby Back Home" swaps instrumentals for a synthesized sound on keyboards, including guitar by The Roots and a solid verse by Black Thought.
Adding a salsa feel to the album, "More and More of Your Amor" is updated with vocals by Bitter:Sweet. "Brazilian Love song" gets a makeover as well, though artist Bebel Gilberto strangely manages to sound even better than Cole himself.
RE:GENERATIONS started as a campaign by the Mural Art Project and has been transformed into a brilliant display of music, worthy to stand in Coles' hall of fame catalogue. The album is a fitting tribute to the legend as a masterful combination bridging the gap between both styles of old and new school beats.
The goal of the album is clearly to familiarize a younger audience with Nat King Cole's work. By allowing listeners to experience music at its purest, while the new additions of notable and admirable musicians gives the album a new twist on a classic. Simply said, this album is a must have.
