Natalie Cole

Ditto above for "Dangerous," which many Natalie fans remember with a smile but don't discuss - probably because the star doesn't, either. Please break out the Modern Records 12" release into a separate listing, Bernie!

Gay clubs made "Dangerous" into an after-hours anthem, but its cult had certainly faded by 1990.

The record has been dismissed not due to quality, but for what it represents: Natalie's self-admitted coked-up low ebb on a minor label. "Dangerous" barely dented pop radio, which considered her passe, and fared worse on black radio, saddened and offended by a rock-influenced, guitar-driven record that it saw as one more sign of the self-destruction of a 70's icon.

Alas, sometimes not even drugs trump talent, and this record is, uh, high proof! Regardless of her sobriety, Natalie was very close to her best standard here. The "edge" to her voice, however induced, was poison to her ballad and midtempo style yet perfectly suited to this material.

"Dangerous" pays off not through its production, which is well-paced, but Natalie's vocal phrasing and technique. She teases and cajoles and finally HOWLS! The brief run-time of this record left me more spent than many a 10-minute "disco classic" - and I far prefer 70's to 80's records, generally speaking.

For disco mythologists, this is a great (or nearly-great) record by a beloved star, temporarily on the skids, who would eventually recover to greater commercial success than she had ever known. What a treasure!

A number of hits from the daughter of a legend kept her career on the rise!

Don't forget "Dangerous" from about '85. Very popular in Southern California, not so much in NYC. Still sounds pretty good.