Inseparable is the debut studio album by American singer Natalie Cole, released on May 11, 1975, by Capitol Records. The album became her first gold-certified album and spawned the number-one R&B hits "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" and "Inseparable". The hit album and its singles earned Cole two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. .
| Inseparable | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 11, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1974–75 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Soul[1] | |||
| Length | 29:54 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer |
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| Natalie Cole chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Inseparable | ||||
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History
editBy 1974, Natalie Cole, the daughter of legendary jazz/pop crooner Nat King Cole, was struggling to get her own music career off the ground. Ever since she had started performing at clubs and festivals, Cole had tried to forge her own path away from the one that several of her father's fans thought she would turn to. Cole refused to record jazz material in fear she would be accused of riding her father's coattails. A longtime fan of soul and blues singers such as Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin, Cole had instead inspired to follow in their footsteps. After performing at one club, she was spotted by musicians Chuck Jackson (step-brother of Jesse Jackson) and Marvin Yancy, who was shopping songs that had been turned down by Franklin herself. Cole, Yancy and Jackson recorded demos for songs that later led to Cole being signed to her father's label, Capitol Records.
Release and reaction
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[3] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[4] |
Released in the spring of 1975, Inseparable shot to the top of the R&B album charts and was also a top twenty hit on the Billboard pop album charts sparked by the album's first single, "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)". The song's Franklin-inspired production's catchy melodies and hooks helped to make it a number-one hit on the Hot Soul Singles chart while also reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. The title track also became a hit reaching number-one on the R&B chart while reaching number thirty-two on the Billboard Hot 100. Altogether, the album went gold selling over a million copies and helping Cole win two Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, where she broke the winning streak set by Aretha Franklin, who had won the award eight years in a row. (For a time before Cole's win, the award was nicknamed The Aretha Award.) The album's success was the beginning of Cole's mid-1970s successes, as an R&B star releasing five gold albums and two platinum albums during her Capitol tenure.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Needing You" | 2:45 |
| 2. | "Joey" | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Inseparable" | 2:26 |
| 4. | "I Can't Say No" | 3:30 |
| 5. | "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" | 2:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Something for Nothing" | 2:57 | |
| 7. | "I Love Him So Much" | 3:24 | |
| 8. | "How Come You Won't Stay Here" | 3:03 | |
| 9. | "Your Face Stays in My Mind" | 2:45 | |
| 10. | "You" | Jackson, Yancy, Kay Butler | 3:30 |
Personnel
edit- Natalie Cole – vocals, backing vocals
- Chuck Jackson, Marvin Yancy, Richard Evans – arrangements
- Marc Bolan – keyboards (5), guitars (5)
- Gloria Jones – backing vocals (5)
Production
edit- Larkin Arnold – executive producer, liner notes
- Chuck Jackson – producer
- Marvin Yancy – producer
- Roger Anfinsen – engineer (1-6)
- John Janus – engineer (1-6)
- Rich Adler – engineer (7-10)
- Bruce Swedien – engineer (7-10)
- Wally Traugott – mastering at Capitol Mastering (Hollywood, California)
- Roy Kohara – art direction
- David Alexander – photography
- Kevin Hunter – personal management
- Janice Williams – spiritual advisor
Charts
edit| Chart (1975) | Peak [5] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [5] |
US R&B [5] |
US A/C [5] |
US Dance [5] |
UK [6] | ||
| 1975 | "This Will Be" | 6 | 1 | 45 | 5 | 32 |
| "Inseparable" | 32 | 1 | 20 | — | — | |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Wynn, Ron (January 1, 1997). "Natalie Cole". In Bogdanov, Vladimir; Erlewine, Michael; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Unterberger, Richie; Woodstra, Chris (eds.). AllMusic Guide to Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman, Inc. p. 202.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. Inseparable > review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Miller, Jim (November 6, 1975). "Natalie Cole: Inseparable : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- ^ a b c d e "US Charts > Natalie Cole". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- ^ "UK Charts > Natalie Cole". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- ^ "American album certifications – Natalie Cole – Inseparable". Recording Industry Association of America.