Dear Lonely Hearts/Miss You/Why Should I Cry Over You/Near You/Yearning(Just For You)/My First & Only Lover/All Over The World/Oh How I Miss You Tonight/Lonesome & Sorry/All By Myself/Who’s Next In Line/It’s A Lonesome Old Town
Despite the top twenty title track Dear Lonely Hearts was a poorly received album from Nat King Cole. It was criticized by some as lacklustre with too much orchestration and some unsuitable backing vocals. (US:27)
“This album is quite a let-down. Too much orchestration and pop background vocals, especially since it seems this was meant to be a combination of country and light R & B at some point. The title track is quite good, as is My First & Only Lover and Who's Next In Line. Vocals are great as usual, but the music and song selection lets this down.”
“Love the man's music, but on this record there are irritating background vocals, that spoil almost everything.”
“There were relatively few memorable songs and conductor Belford Hendricks was not the most inspired. Whilst it was a cut above Cole's overtly pop recordings of the period, Dear Lonely Hearts, did not rank with his jazz excursions or his sessions with better arrangers.”
“Nat’s usual suave, romantic ballads are nowhere to be heard. Instead, Dear Lonely Hearts oozes lacklustre sentiment, with lyrics that are conventional to the point of being soporific. Anything we hear of Cole’s iconic piano playing is lost under an overload of unnecessary accompaniments; most notably the too-frequent background vocals and the occasional incongruous guitar picking.”
“The one and only master of interpretation. No other singer in the business had the warmth that he gave during a performance or recording session.”
“Dear Lonely Hearts showcases the pure, measured voice of Nat performing some long lost classics to Belford Hendricks fine arrangements and backed up by one of the best choruses in the business. Full of beautiful singing and trenchant interpretations that for me top his more popular albums."
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