All Rise...

Judge Patrick Naugle thinks he can sing like Nat King Cole, but the strongest song in his repertoire is Old King Cole.

The Charge

"Unforgettable / That's what you are."

The Case

Swoon the stylish crooning of Nat King Cole, one of the smoothest singers ever to grace the radio waves. From the comfort of your home, you can enjoy such time-honored classics as "Unforgettable," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "Smoke Get In Your Eyes." These are performances you won't soon forget, especially if you watch them with someone you love!

The songs included on this disc:
Pretend
It's Only A Paper Moon
But Not For Me
Just You Just Me
Errand Boy For Rythem
Where Or When
These Foolish Things
Red Sails In The Sunset
I'm Sitting On Top Of The World
Dream
Ballerina
Dancing In The Ceiling
Anything Goes
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
There Will Never Be Another You
It's All In The Game
Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart
Come To Baby, Do
Unforgettable
Nat's Theme (Performed by Patt Britt)

This is one of the most cut and dry DVDs I've ever seen one. Nat King Cole: Encore features the legendary Nat on what appears to be various television shows singing his classic hits, and that's it—no funny speeches, no big productions, just good old fashioned harmonizing. There isn't much rhyme or rhythm to these performances—it's just Nat singing in front of an audience in glorious black and white. Are the performances any good? Well, duh—it's the "King" of nookie music, so of course it's good. Of all the songs, I enjoyed "It's All In The Game" (a fine ode to the wondrous game of love), "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" (originally made famous by The Platters), and Cole's own signature song, the teary "Unforgettable." As a bonus, there's even a duet with the legendary Ella Fitzgerald! If you're a fan of oldies or just want some fine background music for your next candlelit dinner, Nat King Cole: Encore should easily do the trick.

Nat King Cole: Encore is presented in 1.33:1 full frame in black and white. As far as the video transfers go, this disc leaves much to be desired. The images are often muddled and grainy, easily showing their age. Passport Video didn't put a lot of time into restoring these archival clips. Then again, I have to be honest and say it didn't much bother me that the picture wasn't always in great shape. Aesthetically speaking, the images on this disc are mediocre at best.

The soundtrack appears to be in Dolby Digital Mono in English (no mention is made on the package). Much like the video transfers there isn't a whole lot to say about this mix. The music is easily heard throughout most of the performances. While there are a few spots where a crackle or pop can be heard on the soundtrack, I guess an argument can be made that it is a realistic representation of how these songs originally sounded. No alternate subtitles or audio tracks are available on this disc.

Aside from a chapter list of songs, no extra features have been included on this edition of Nat King Cole: Encore.

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