When
Natalie Cole's debut album,
Inseparable, came out in 1976, many fans of her late father hoped that she would follow his lead and embrace jazz and pre-rock pop. But
Inseparable doesn't sound anything like a
Nat "King" Cole session, and it wasn't until 1991's
Unforgettable that
Natalie Cole recorded the sort of project her father would have recorded. In the 1970s, she was essentially an R&B singer, and the person she was compared to more than anyone was
Aretha Franklin. Some reviewers also compared
Cole to
Chaka Khan, which made sense because
Khan certainly didn't escape
Franklin's influence either. To be sure,
Cole brings a definite
Franklin influence to this promising debut album; her admiration for the Queen of Soul comes through on the joyous, gospel-drenched "This Will Be" and the hit ballads "I Can't Say No" and "Inseparable" as well as funky album tracks like "Something for Nothing" and "How Come You Won't Stay Here." But as strong as
Franklin's influence is,
Cole never fails to sound like her own person. By the end of the 1970s, it was clear that
Cole wasn't a soul purist -- and not surprisingly, she picked up a lot of adult contemporary and quiet storm fans along the way. But
Inseparable is among
Cole's most soul-oriented albums, and it is also one of her most essential. ~ Alex Henderson