Nat King Cole: The World of Nat King Cole

It might be possible to assemble a better single-disc collection of Nat King Cole's greatest performances, but for a balance of great hits and classic tracks, it's hard to imagine one.

His many recordings have been endlessly compiled and reshuffled on a level that approaches the ubiquitous Elvis catalog, but this legendary postwar pop crooner -- matched only by Sinatra or perhaps Bennett for sheer consistency -- has never had a solid single-disc comp prepared for the digital age. What a pleasure, then, that this one is so solid, balanced perfectly as it is between Cole's jazz and pop sides.

Most of his big hits are here, including "Mona Lisa," "Ramblin' Rose," and "When I Fall In Love," but there are also six classics from the Nat King Cole Trio, a track apiece with Stan Kenton and George Shearing, and one live track from his appearance at Las Vegas' Sands hotel. If all you know of Cole is his posthumous "duet" with daughter Natalie on "Unforgettable," well, that's here in both the original and more recent versions, too. And while you could argue about the omission of "Lush Life" or his version of "The Christmas Song," the sheer scope of this disc, the exquisite song selection, and the (newly remastered) clarity of the tracks make such quibbles minor. If your image of Cole rests on forgettable singles like "Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer," look elsewhere, but if you just need one Nat disc, this is definitely the one to have.