Ask a Woman Who Knows

Ask a Woman Who Knows is a 2002 jazz album by vocalist Natalie Cole, with guest Diana Krall, and receiving four Grammy Award nominations.

Ask a Woman Who Knows
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2002
Recorded2002
GenreJazz
LabelVerve
Producer
Natalie Cole chronology
Love Songs
(2001)
Ask a Woman Who Knows
(2002)
Anthology
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Vibe[2]

Background

Courtesy of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, Cole projects her aura on to songs once recorded previously by great singers like Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Frank Sinatra, and Nat "King" Cole. Natalie Cole's musical choices include songs that depict the various aspects of love—its joy, its sorrow, its loneliness, and its consolation. Included are two of Dinah Washington's gems -- "I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do" and the title track, "Ask a Woman Who Knows"—both songs about love gone wrong. Cole changes the tone of the set with great scatting on the up-tempo swinger "My Baby Just Cares for Me"; big band swing "It's Crazy," the hit by her father, Nat King Cole; and the soulful "I'm Glad There Is You," which features Roy Hargrove on flugelhorn. Natalie Cole sings her engaging musical stories with priceless, nuanced phrasing accompanied by a distinguished core quintet of Joe Sample, Russell Malone, Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, and Rob Mounsey. The added dimension of Natalie Cole performing all background vocals and the backing of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra on two songs makes the recording extra special. Overall, this is an exceptional recording that re-teams her with Tommy LiPuma, the producer of her biggest hit, Unforgettable: With Love. "Better Than Anything" is a jazz waltz devoted to "women shopping, guest vocal Diana Krall in perfect agreement that spending money is the best thing in life ("better than honey on bread, better than breakfast in bed" —lyrics by Bill Loughborough), better than anything except being in love. "I'm Glad There Is You," Latin-influenced ballad from 1941 by Jimmy Dorsey. "Calling You" is an Academy Award-nominated song from the Bagdad Café (1987) film. "My Baby Just Cares For Me," the only standard here whose title is immediately recognizable, introduced in 1928 by singer Eddie Cantor, best known as the signature tune of singer and pianist Nina Simone.[3]

Commercial performance

Ask a Woman Who Knows debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart an has sold more than 252,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[4][5]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do"Lee Pockriss, Paul Vance4:07
2."Tell Me All About It"Michael Franks4:10
3."Ask a Woman Who Knows"Victor Abrams4:14
4."It's Crazy"Timmie Rogers, Tim Fields2:10
5."You're Mine, You"Johnny Green, Edward Heyman4:03
6."So Many Stars"Sérgio Mendes, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman5:16
7."Told You So"Duncan Lamont3:52
8."Soon"George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin3:13
9."I'm Glad There Is You"Jimmy Dorsey, Paul Madeira5:16
10."Better Than Anything" (Duet with Diana Krall)David Wheat, Bill Loughborough3:35
11."The Music That Makes Me Dance"Jule Styne, Bob Merrill4:09
12."Calling You"Robert Telson5:00
13."My Baby Just Cares for Me"Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn4:26

Personnel

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2003Ask A Woman Who KnowsBest Jazz Vocal AlbumNominated
"I'm Glad There Is You"Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying VocalsNominated
"Better Than Anything" (with Diana Krall)Best Pop Collaboration With VocalsNominated
Ask A Woman Who KnowsBest Engineered Album - Non-ClassicalNominated

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[7] 24
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 24
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[9] 1

References

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