Take a Look (Natalie Cole album)

Take a Look
Take a Look
Studio album by Natalie Cole
Released	June 9, 1993
Recorded	1992–93
Studio	Ocean Way, Capitol, Conway, Westlake and Schnee (Hollywood, California); O'Henry (Burbank, California); The Power Station (New York, New York)
Genre	Jazz; traditional pop;
Length	64:22
Label	Elektra
Producer	André Fischer; Tommy LiPuma;
Natalie Cole chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Calgary Herald	B^[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+^[4]
Music Week	^[5]
Philadelphia Inquirer	^[6]
Rolling Stone	^[7]

Take a Look is a 1993 album by American singer Natalie Cole, released on June 9, 1993, by Elektra Records. Cole won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for Take a Look at the 36th Grammy Awards.^[8]

The single, "Take a Look", peaked at No. 68 on the US Billboard R&B chart and No. 35 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1993.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Wish You Love"	Albert Beach Charles Trenet	4:07
2.	"I'm Beginning to See the Light"	Duke Ellington Don George Johnny Hodges Harry James	3:29
3.	"Swinging Shepherd Blues"	Natalie Cole Kenny Jacobson Moe Koffman Rhoda Roberts	4:01
4.	"Crazy He Calls Me"	Bob Russell Carl Sigman	4:11
5.	"Cry Me a River"	Arthur Hamilton	3:50
6.	"Undecided"	Sydney Robin Charlie Shavers	2:15
7.	"Fiesta in Blue"	Count Basie Louie Bellson Roy Eldridge Benny Goodman Jimmy Mundy	4:03
8.	"I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life"	Cy Coleman Joseph McCarthy	3:33
9.	"Let There Be Love"	Ian Grant Lionel Rand	3:50
10.	"It's Sand, Man!"	Jon Hendricks Dave Lambert Ed Lewis	2:30
11.	"Don't Explain"	Arthur Herzog Jr. Billie Holiday	3:10
12.	"As Time Goes By"	Herman Hupfeld	3:43
13.	"Too Close for Comfort"	Jerry Bock Larry Holofcener George David Weiss	2:56
14.	"Calypso Blues"	Nat King Cole George	4:49
15.	"This Will Make You Laugh"	Irene Higginbotham	3:46
16.	"Lovers"	Cole Chuck Jackson Marvin Yancy	3:14
17.	"All About Love"	Robert Arthur Bill Dana	3:39
18.	"Take a Look"	Cole Naomi Neville Clyde Otis	3:06
Total length:			64:22

Personnel

Musicians

Natalie Cole – lead vocals, backing vocals (5, 7, 10, 14, 16, 17)
Roger Kellaway – acoustic piano (1, 5, 12)
Alan Broadbent – acoustic piano (2, 3, 9, 10, 13-15, 17), arrangements (4, 7, 15, 16)
Clare Fischer – acoustic piano (4)
Mike Melvoin – acoustic piano (7, 16)
Herbie Hancock – acoustic piano (8, 18), Fender Rhodes (11)
John Chiodini – guitars (1-18), arrangements (14), guitar solo (15)
John Clayton – bass (1, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 18), arrangements (2, 10, 13)
Jim Hughart – bass (2-4, 6, 9, 10, 13-15, 17), arrangements (9)
Jeff Hamilton – drums (1-8, 10-13, 16, 17)
Harold Jones – drums (9, 15, 18)
Luis Conte – percussion (14)
Robert Yancy – percussion (14)
Larry Bunker – marimba (14), vibraphone (14)
Pete Christlieb – saxophone solo (2, 17)
Grover Washington Jr. – saxophone solo (3)
David "Fathead" Newman – saxophone solo (5, 12)
David Trigg – trumpet solo (9)
Marty Paich – arrangements (1, 5, 12, 18)
Bill Holman – arrangements (3, 6, 17)
Jeremy Lubbock – arrangements (8, 11)

Production

Producers – Tommy LiPuma (Tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 12, 17, 18); André Fischer (Tracks 2, 4, 7-11, 13-16).
Executive producers – Natalie Cole and Tommy LiPuma
Production assistants – Angelo Montrone and Deborah Silverman-Kern (Tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 12, 17, 18); Patty Nichols and Keith Petrie (Tracks 2, 4, 7-11, 13-16).
Recorded and mixed by Al Schmitt
Additional recording – Joe Ferla, Doug Ryder, Bill Schnee and Jeffrey Woodruff.
Assistant engineers – Chris Albert, Ken Allerdyce, Chris Fogel, John Hendrickson, Richard Landers, Gil Morales, Charlie Paakkari, Marnie Riley, Gary Sulich and Dan Wojnar.
Mastered by Doug Sax at the Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA).
Project coordinator – Shari Sutcliffe
Art direction – Robyn Lynch
Design – Drenttel Doyle Partners
Photography – Matthew Rolston
Hair – Janet Zeitoun
Make-up – Rudy Calvo and Tara Posey
Stylist – Cecille Parker
Management – Dan Cleary

Charts

Chart performance for *Take a Look*
Chart (1993)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[9]	50
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[10]	90
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[11]	36
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[12]	46
UK Albums (OCC)^[13]	16
US Billboard 200^[14]	26
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[15]	14

Certifications

Certifications for *Take a Look*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[16]	Gold	50,000^{^}
Germany (BVMI)^[17]	Gold	10,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[18]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ ^a ^b 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.
^ AllMusic review
^ Obee, Dave (June 20, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
^ Entertainment Weekly review
^ Jones, Alan (June 19, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 23. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
^ Wood, Sam (June 22, 1993). "Golden-Era Tunes Allow Cole to Shine". Philadelphia Inquirer.
^ Rolling Stone review
^ "The 36th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Natalie Cole – Take a Look" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
^ "Charts.nz – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
^ "Natalie Cole Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
^ "Natalie Cole Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
^ "Natalie Cole; 'Take a Look'". Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
^ "American album certifications – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 December 2018.

[AllMusic_Rock_1997-1] 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.

[2] AllMusic review

[3] Obee, Dave (June 20, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.

[4] Entertainment Weekly review

[5] Jones, Alan (June 19, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 23. Retrieved January 29, 2023.

[6] Wood, Sam (June 22, 1993). "Golden-Era Tunes Allow Cole to Shine". Philadelphia Inquirer.

[7] Rolling Stone review

[8] "The 36th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 2011-03-20.

[ac_Australia_Natalie_Cole-9] "Australiancharts.com – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

[ac_Germany4_Natalie_Cole-10] "Offiziellecharts.de – Natalie Cole – Take a Look" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

[ac_New_Zealand_Natalie_Cole-11] "Charts.nz – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

[ac_Sweden_Natalie_Cole-12] "Swedishcharts.com – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

[ac_UK2_-13] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

[ac_Billboard200_Natalie_Cole-14] "Natalie Cole Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Natalie_Cole-15] "Natalie Cole Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

[CanadaNatalie_ColeTake_a_LookalbumCertRef-16] "Canadian album certifications – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 December 2018.

[17] "Natalie Cole; 'Take a Look'". Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2019.

[United_StatesNatalie_ColeTake_a_LookalbumCertRef-18] "American album certifications – Natalie Cole – Take a Look". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 December 2018.

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v t e Natalie Cole
Discography
Studio albums	Inseparable (1975) Natalie (1976) Unpredictable (1977) Thankful (1977) I Love You So (1979) We're the Best of Friends (1979) Don't Look Back (1980) Happy Love (1981) I'm Ready (1983) Dangerous (1985) Everlasting (1987) Good to Be Back (1989) Unforgettable... with Love (1991) Take a Look (1993) Holly & Ivy (1994) Stardust (1996) Snowfall on the Sahara (1999) The Magic of Christmas (1999) Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002) Leavin' (2006) Still Unforgettable (2008) Caroling, Caroling: Christmas with Natalie Cole (2008) Natalie Cole en Español (2013)
Compilation albums	The Natalie Cole Collection (1987)
Live albums	Natalie Live! (1978) Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole (1983)
Singles	"This Will Be" "Inseparable" "Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)" "I've Got Love on My Mind" "Our Love" "Someone That I Used to Love" "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds "What You Won't Do for Love" (with Peabo Bryson) "I Live for Your Love" "Pink Cadillac" "When I Fall in Love" "Miss You Like Crazy" "Starting Over Again" "Wild Women Do" "Unforgettable" (with Nat King Cole) "A Smile Like Yours" "Day Dreaming"
Tours	Soul Divas Tour
Family	Marvin Yancy (ex-husband) Nat King Cole (father) Maria Cole (mother) Carole Cole (sister) Eddie Cole (uncle) Ike Cole (uncle) Freddy Cole (uncle) Lionel Cole (cousin) Charlotte Hawkins Brown (great-aunt)