Leavin' (album)

Leavin'
A woman in a jacket and jeans is shown walking toward the camera. The words Natalie Cole are shown in the right lower-hand corner in a white font along with the word Leavin' in an orange, cursive font.
Studio album by Natalie Cole
Released	September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26)
Genre	R&B pop
Length	52:13
Label	Verve Records
Producer	Natalie Cole (exec.) Dallas Austin (exec.) David Munk (exec.) Peter Mokran
Natalie Cole chronology
Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002)Ask a Woman Who Knows2002 Leavin' (2006) Still Unforgettable (2008)Still Unforgettable2008
Singles from Leavin'
"Day Dreaming" Released: 2006

Leavin' is the twentieth studio album by American recording artist Natalie Cole, released on September 26, 2006, by Verve Records. The album consists of ten cover versions of various R&B and pop songs and two original songs: "5 Minutes Away" and "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)". It was the second of Cole's albums to be released by Verve Records, and her first album in four years, following Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002). Cole promoted the album as a return to her R&B roots, distancing herself from identification as a jazz artist.

After its release, critics gave the album generally positive reviews, praising Cole's interpretations of the covered material, and comparing her favorably to contemporary R&B artists. The album had limited commercial success in the United States, peaking at number 97 on the Billboard 200. Internationally, the album charted in Germany and Switzerland. The album spawned one single – Cole's cover of Aretha Franklin's "Day Dreaming" – with an accompanying music video. She performed the song at the BET special An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha Franklin. She embarked on a theatre tour in the fall of 2006 to support the album.

Background and recording

The Huffington Post's David Munk said that the idea for the record started after his suggestion that Cole "return to her R&B roots by recording an intimate, classic soul CD with a small group of sidemen and simple production". Munk served as an executive producer for the album. He viewed the recording sessions in Atlanta as eclectic and described Cole's ambition: "[S]he shared with me her hope of making a country-soul record in Memphis; she also spoke of doing a piano-voice album and of recording in Spanish".

File:NatalieColeSingingInDresses.png

Rashod Ollison of The Virginian-Pilot wrote the album represented how "[Cole] ad hung up the gowns and returned to her soul roots"; In past performances, Cole would wear gowns (above) when singing jazz.

In an interview with American Songwriter, Cole said the album "was born out of desperation" to record a pop/urban project rather than a jazz one. She sought to avoid being typecast as a jazz singer by returning to R&B and demanding more artistic control. By being an arranger on the album, she said the recording sessions reminded her of how she: "missed the freedom ... ad-libbing, you know, and being able to holler every now and then ... all of that energy". Cole cited the album as a point of reinvention away from the jazz image established by Unforgettable... with Love, saying " it represents a departure, a move towards something new." She initially looked for original songs to record for the album, but said "the songs being sent were pretty bad." An article in Vibe said Cole's decision to create a covers album was a marketing strategy to breed "a connection between song and interpreter and between singer and audience" and appeal to "fans yearning for the good old days before they had to hire a sitter to go see a show". Cole later clarified she could not afford to record an album of original material, explaining "we're doing a contemporary urban record on a jazz budget".

While promoting the album, Cole said "R&B, rock and pop has always been my forte" and called the music something she wished she had recorded "at least five years ago". She revealed her dissatisfaction with being labeled a jazz singer and her desire to showcase her versatility as an artist, saying she aimed to "put out some music that we hadn't heard in a long time from anybody, really". The project was Cole's first collaboration with R&B producer Dallas Austin. Following Verve's requirement that the album had to include original material, Cole described her experiences with Austin, and keyboard player Chanz Parkman, as the inspiration for "Five Minutes Away". She said she enjoyed working with Austin as he made each recording session "a playground in which to experiment and then we’d decide what worked" and viewed him as supportive.

Television and music producer Kevin E. Taylor explained that Cole "wanted something that was nostalgic yet up-to-date"; Taylor described the cover art as reflective of the intersection of time periods, saying that "the warm colors and the black and white perfectly capture her look and the concept of the new album". He later called Cole "his personal favorite" collaborator based on their previous work experiences. Prior to the album's release, CBS News' Caitlin Johnson wrote that it was "a sharp turn for a woman perhaps best known for singing jazz standards." Johnson connected the project to Cole's reinvention and its title to "leaving the past behind."

Composition

Leavin' is a contemporary R&B and pop music album consisting of twelve tracks, with an additional remix on digital copies. Cole said the material "has given me the opportunity to explore the greatness in the songs of some of our most talented and gifted songwriters," emphasizing the album's "fresh new twist on some great music". The album opens with Cole's cover of Fiona Apple's "Criminal". Len Righi of The Morning Call expressed surprise at Cole's ability to transform the "agonizing, brazen lament" into "a funky, Tina Turner-type, rump-shaker." The second track is a cover of Neil Young's "Old Man"; The Huffington Post's David Munk called it "a personal rumination on her father". The third song, a cover of Aretha Franklin's "Day Dreaming", was recorded after Austin sang it in the studio. Cole said she "added a little bit of a hip-hop feel to it". Richard Harrington of The Washington Post felt that the fourth track, a cover of Shelby Lynne's "Leavin'", "metaphorically put a little distance between the original R&B diva and the pop star Cole". The fifth song is a cover of Ronnie Dyson's "The More You Do It (The More I Like It Done To Me)"; NPR's Jason King attributes the inclusion of "the saucy but largely forgotten Yancy-Jackson mid-'70s track" to Cole's A&R director. The song contains an homage to Cole's previous single "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)". The seventh track is a cover of Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge's "Loving Arms" (here titled "Lovin' Arms"), which Verve marketed as inspired by Etta James, allowing Cole "the opportunity to move back to her 70's roots with rich, shimmering vocals".

JazzReview's Donna Kimura called Cole's funky approach to the eighth track on the album, a cover of Bonnie Raitt's "Love Letter", as "a worthy, fresh interpretation instead of a copy". "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" was described as an "ethereal" take on the Kate Bush song. Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone highlighted the original song "5 Minutes Away" as one of Natalie Cole's top ten essential songs, calling it "a wise rumination on love and life accented by dry horns and capped with a rousing call-and-response". The tenth track is the original song "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)", written by Cole, Ernie Isley, and Chris Jasper. Cole explained that she included the cover of Des'ree's "You Gotta Be", the eleventh song on the album, because of positive fan response to her prior performances of the song; she described it as an example of her experimentation with "bringing a jazzy flavor to some pop songs". The album concludes with a cover of Sting's "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You", which emphasizes its spiritual context through the addition of four Beatitudes.

Promotion

"Day Dreaming" was released as the lead single from the album. Director Doug Biro shot the accompanying music video, which features Cole singing with her band in front of a white background. The song earned Cole a nomination at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, but she lost to Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You". Cole performed the single at the BET special An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha Franklin along with her arrangement of Franklin's 1970 single "Call Me".

Following the release of Leavin', Cole was slated to appear on "a number of major morning and late night television programs" to perform "several intimate showcases" of her music. To further promote the album, she embarked on a theater tour in the fall of 2006. It was her first club-sized tour in almost two decades. Cole had chosen to sing her 1970s hits in an attempt to draw more R&B fans. She also decided to perform every song from the album, saying she couldn't "remember when a performer took a whole album and performed it onstage". Producer Kevin E. Taylor gave the concert a positive review after the show at the Apollo Theater; he wrote she kept the audience engaged and described her as having "the crowd in her hands" when opening with "Day Dreaming". La'Verne Washington of Soul-Patrol praised the show at World Cafe, saying Cole "just knocked us out with the new stuff, and wore us out with the old stuff". American recording artist Patti LaBelle attended Cole's performance at World Cafe.

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
BBC	favorable
News24

Leavin' received positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised the album as "a treat for any Cole fan" and drew attention to how it sounded like it was recorded at a "leisurely pace." He noted that Cole sounded like she was "breez[ing] through an easygoing set of covers". The BBC's Chris Rogers defined the album as "an ultra smooth mix of standards both tasteful and obtuse". He noted that Cole's vocal performance had a "tasteful restraint" when recording covers instead of "the modulated warbling that seems to pass for contemporary R&B these days". Rogers wrote that the album is a perfect fit for listeners of Joss Stone and Jamie Cullum Jay S. Jacobs of PopEntertainment called the album "jazzy but decidedly more modern and surprisingly strong", similar to Cole's 1999 release, Snowfall on the Sahara. People's Ralph Novak, Chuck Arnold, V. R. Peterson, and Monica Rizzo commended Cole's decision to "ditch the evening-gown fare on her new CD" by recording more contemporary songs. Gugu Mkhabela from News24 awarded the album three out of five stars, describing the material as "pure old school with a modern twist", with Cole providing "a touch of class and some depth to boot". Daniel Garret of The Compulsive Reader also complimented the material, comparing it to Ella Fitzgerald's 1993 album, The Best of the Song Books, and Diana Ross's 2006 album, Blue and calling Cole one of the "three ladies of song" alongside Fitzgerald and Ross. Honolulu Star-Bulletin's Gary C.W. Chun favorably compared the album to Gladys Knight's Before Me.

Commercial performance

The album had limited commercial success in the United States. It reached its peak positions on the Billboard 200 at number 97 and on Billboard's R&B Albums at number 16. Internationally, Leavin' had a relatively limited commercial performance. In Germany, the album peaked on the German Album Charts at number 92. In Switzerland, it reached a peak position of number 76 on the Swiss Album Charts.

Track listing

All tracks except "5 Minutes Away" were produced by Dallas Austin; "5 Minutes Away" was produced by Natalie Cole.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Criminal"	Fiona Apple	4:04
2.	"Old Man"	Neil Young	4:35
3.	"Day Dreaming"	Aretha Franklin	3:34
4.	"Leavin'"	Shelby Lynne	3:48
5.	"The More You Do it (The More I Like It Done to Me)"	Marvin Yancy	3:25
6.	"Lovin' Arms"	Tom Jans	3:48
7.	"Love Letter"	Bonnie Hayes	3:49
8.	"The Man with the Child in His Eyes"	Kate Bush	4:53
9.	"5 Minutes Away"	Dallas Austin, Natalie Cole	4:21
10.	"Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)"	Natalie Cole, Ernie Isley, Chris Jasper	5:40
11.	"You Gotta Be"	Des'ree, Ashley Ingram	3:45
12.	"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You"	Sting	5:38
Total length:			52:13

Leavin' – (Digital Bonus Track)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Lovin' Arms" (featuring Keb' Mo') (Keb' Mo' Acoustic Version)	Tom Jans	4:44
Total length:			56:57

Credits

The following credits are adapted from AllMusic:

Managerial

• Dallas Austin  – Composer, drums, executive producer, horn arrangements, percussion, performer, producer, rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangement

• David Munk  – Executive producer, performer

Performance credits

• Natalie Cole  – Adaptation, composer, executive producer, horn arrangements, performer, primary artist, producer, rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangement, vocals
• Gail Deadrick  – Performer
• Kimberly Edwards  – Choir/chorus
• Frissy  – Performer
• Nicole Harvey  – Choir/chorus
• Paul Jackson, Jr.  – Guest artist, rhythm arrangements
• Rene D. James  – Choir/chorus
• Fatimah Jester  – Choir/chorus
• Soinji Mickey  – Choir/chorus
• Alisha D. Monson  – Choir/chorus

• N Sisters  – Vocals (background)
• No better  – Performer
• No heffa  – Performer
• No teefas  – Performer
• Parkman's Ensemble  – Choir/chorus, vocals (background)
• Prissy Reed  – Performer
• Jermaine Thomas  – Choir/chorus
• Turmaine Thomas  – Choir/chorus
• Tammy White  – Choir/chorus
• John Woodbury  – Choir/chorus

Visuals and imagery

• Kwaku Aiston  – Photography
• Sylvia Grieser  – Wardrobe
• Hollis King  – Art direction

• Isabelle Wong  – Graphic design
• Janet Zeltoun  – Hair stylist

Instruments

• Peter Ciaschini  – String section, violin
• Tania Maxwell Clements  – String section, viola
• Wes Funderburk  – Horn arrangements, trombone
• Half Time Live Horns  – Horn arrangements
• Carolyn Hancock  – String section, violin
• David Hancock  – Celli, string section
• Eddie Horst  – String arrangements
• Charae Krueger  – Celli, string section
• Alice Lord  – String section, violin
• Cathy Lynn  – String section, viola

• Travis Omari McCauley  – Trombone
• John Meisner  – String section, violin
• Christopher Pulgram  – String section, violin
• Tony Reyes  – Bass, choir/chorus, guitar, performer, rhythm arrangements, vocals (background)
• Kevin Ricard  – Cajon, percussion
• Will Scruggs  – Sax (baritone), sax (tenor)
• Ken Watters  – Trumpet
• Donia Willis, III  – Trumpet
• Joli Wu  – String section, viola

Production and composition

• Fiona Apple  – Composer
• Sharliss Ashbury  – Production coordination
• Sharliss Ashbury  – Production coordination
• Kate Bush  – Composer
• Ralph Cacciurri  – Engineer
• Rick DeVarona  – Assistant engineer
• Aretha Franklin  – Composer
• Bernie Grundman  – Master
• Bonne Hayes  – Composer
• Ashley Ingram  – Composer
• Ernie Isley  – Composer

• Tom Jans  – Composer
• Chris Jasper  – Composer
• Shelby Lynne  – Composer
• Graham Marsh  – Assistant engineer
• Peter Mokran  – Mixing, producer
• Rick Sheppard  – Engineer, performer, vocal arrangement
• Kimberly Smith  – Production coordination
• Seth Waldmann  – Assistant engineer
• Jordan Winsen  – Assistant engineer
• Marvin Yancey  – Composer
• Neil Young  – Composer

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
German Album Charts	92
Swiss Album Charts	76
US Billboard 200	97
US R&B Albums	16

Release history

The follow release history was adapted from Amazon.

Country	Date	Format	Label
United States	Verve Records	Audio CD	September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26)
United States		MP3
Europe		Audio CD	2010 (2010)
Indonesia
Russia