Ask a Woman Who Knows

Ask a Woman Who Knows is a 2002 jazz album by vocalist Natalie Cole, with guest Diana Krall, and receiving four Grammy Award nominations.

Ask a Woman Who Knows
Studio album by Natalie Cole
Released	September 17, 2002
Recorded	2002
Genre	Jazz
Label	Verve
Producer	Tommy LiPuma Natalie Cole (exec.)
Natalie Cole chronology
Love Songs (2001) Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002) Anthology (2003)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Vibe	[2]

Background

Courtesy of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, Cole projects her aura on to songs once recorded previously by great singers like Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Frank Sinatra, and Nat "King" Cole. Natalie Cole's musical choices include songs that depict the various aspects of love—its joy, its sorrow, its loneliness, and its consolation. Included are two of Dinah Washington's gems -- "I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do" and the title track, "Ask a Woman Who Knows"—both songs about love gone wrong. Cole changes the tone of the set with great scatting on the up-tempo swinger "My Baby Just Cares for Me"; big band swing "It's Crazy," the hit by her father, Nat King Cole; and the soulful "I'm Glad There Is You," which features Roy Hargrove on flugelhorn. Natalie Cole sings her engaging musical stories with priceless, nuanced phrasing accompanied by a distinguished core quintet of Joe Sample, Russell Malone, Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, and Rob Mounsey. The added dimension of Natalie Cole performing all background vocals and the backing of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra on two songs makes the recording extra special. Overall, this is an exceptional recording that re-teams her with Tommy LiPuma, the producer of her biggest hit, Unforgettable: With Love. "Better Than Anything" is a jazz waltz devoted to "women shopping, guest vocal Diana Krall in perfect agreement that spending money is the best thing in life ("better than honey on bread, better than breakfast in bed" —lyrics by Bill Loughborough), better than anything except being in love. "I'm Glad There Is You," Latin-influenced ballad from 1941 by Jimmy Dorsey. "Calling You" is an Academy Award-nominated song from the Bagdad Café (1987) film. "My Baby Just Cares For Me," the only standard here whose title is immediately recognizable, introduced in 1928 by singer Eddie Cantor, best known as the signature tune of singer and pianist Nina Simone.[3]

Commercial performance

Ask a Woman Who Knows debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart an has sold more than 252,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[4][5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do"	Lee Pockriss, Paul Vance	4:07
2.	"Tell Me All About It"	Michael Franks	4:10
3.	"Ask a Woman Who Knows"	Victor Abrams	4:14
4.	"It's Crazy"	Timmie Rogers, Tim Fields	2:10
5.	"You're Mine, You"	Johnny Green, Edward Heyman	4:03
6.	"So Many Stars"	Sérgio Mendes, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman	5:16
7.	"Told You So"	Duncan Lamont	3:52
8.	"Soon"	George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin	3:13
9.	"I'm Glad There Is You"	Jimmy Dorsey, Paul Madeira	5:16
10.	"Better Than Anything" (Duet with Diana Krall)	David Wheat, Bill Loughborough	3:35
11.	"The Music That Makes Me Dance"	Jule Styne, Bob Merrill	4:09
12.	"Calling You"	Robert Telson	5:00
13.	"My Baby Just Cares for Me"	Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn	4:26

Personnel

• Natalie Cole - vocals
• Diana Krall - vocals
• Roy Hargrove - flugelhorn
• Larry Bunker - vibraphone
• Gary Foster - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Alan Broadbent, Joe Sample - piano
• Rob Mounsey - keyboards
• Russell Malone - guitar
• Christian McBride - bass guitar
• Lewis Nash - drums
• Tollak Ollestad - harmonica
• The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, performed on Grammy winning albums for Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall, Benny Carter, Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand. The three main musicians are John Clayton, his brother, Jeff Clayton, and Jeff Hamilton.[6]

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2003	Ask A Woman Who Knows	Best Jazz Vocal Album	Nominated
	"I'm Glad There Is You"	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals	Nominated
	"Better Than Anything" (with Diana Krall)	Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals	Nominated
	Ask A Woman Who Knows	Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical	Nominated

Charts

Chart (2002)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[7]	24
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8]	24
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[9]	1

References

1. AllMusic review
2. Album reviews at CD Universe
3. About Jazz: Ask A Woman Who Knows
4. Billboard review
5. Billboard chart history
6. The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra Archived February 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
7. "Natalie Cole Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
8. "Natalie Cole Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
9. "Natalie Cole Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.