Nat King Cole's first foray into singing in Spanish,
Cole Español, was successful enough to lead to this follow-up, on which a slightly different approach was taken. For
Cole Español, Capitol Records imported instrumental tracks recorded in Cuba and had
Cole sing over them, having learned the lyrics phonetically.
A Mis Amigos, however, was recorded in Rio de Janeiro during
Cole's South American tour of 1959, with Brazilian musicians in the studio alongside the singer. That, the benefit of experience, and the reception his concerts were receiving may have helped improve his performances. He still didn't have much feeling for Spanish (or, in three instances, Portuguese), but some of the material was more familiar to him, notably "Aquellos Ojos Verdes," better known in the U.S. as the
Jimmy Dorsey hit "Green Eyes," and "Fantastico," a specially written number brought in by American songwriters
Jack Keller and
Noel Sherman. ~ William Ruhlmann