Book, Cd, Movie Reveal All About Cole

Natalie Cole's personal and professional lives have changed directions more times in 25 years than a marble on a tilt-a-whirl—having gone from pop diva to jazz chanteuse, while simultaneously tackling motherhood and winning a very public battle against drug addiction.

Cole is the daughter of Nat "King" Cole, and her first foray into music was at the age of 6 (as the voice of an angel on a Christmas album that earned her $46.10), and she hasn't stopped working since. She earned her first record deal in 1974 and through the years has had an impressive series of hits. She's also had a number of widely publicized trials and tribulations, professional upheavals, and personal challenges. Her closet is full, but now she's airing it out.

Cole's autobiography, "Angel On My Shoulder," hits the stores via Warner Books this month, along with the 19-song "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" (Nov. 21, Elektra). Additionally, a TV movie based on "Angel On My Shoulder" (in which she portrays herself during her later years) premieres Dec. 10 on NBC.

With such a busy agenda, Cole is once again dealing with the media—a sector that hasn't always been kind.

"At many points in my life, the press took great delight in loudly flaunting my troubles—and at a time when I didn't need any more madness," Cole says. "I was addicted, and every day I had to look at the absolute worst pictures of myself. The press certainly doesn't try to generate sympathy for you when you're down and out. The best revenge is to be able to live through it all, rise up again, and tell your own story."

And that's exactly what Cole has done. The new album—a companion piece for the book and the film—is more of a soundtrack to her life and career than just a typical greatest-hits package.

Dane Venable, senior director of marketing at Elektra, agrees. "For any artist, this is a unique situation. It's a bonus if you have two big media events tied in, like a move and a record. But to have a movie, a book, and a record, all autobiographical in nature, released simultaneously, is amazing. We're coordinating our efforts with NBC and Warner Books."

In terms of the album, Venable says, the label is treating the project like a soundtrack. In addition to the previously available material, the set includes two new songs: the uptempo "Livin' For Love" and the more traditional Cole ballad "Angel On My Shoulder," penned by the artist with Richard Marx. Venable hopes the songs will help the album reach two different audiences.

"One is an adult demographic, 35-54, who loved Natalie in the '70s and '80s and then rediscovered her in the '90s with 'Unforgettable,' " Venable notes. "The other consumer is the one who really appreciates her uptempo/dance tracks. With this album, we take the best of both of those worlds."

The marketing is unique, given the diversity of the audience. First on the agenda is a two-week direct-response TV ad that will allow consumers to order the disc via an 800 number. "We're doing that because a lot of adult consumers don't live in record stores any more," Venable says. "They have other priorities. But the one thing they have is a television. They are more apt to either purchase it right then on the phone, or it will prompt them to go to the record store."

The label will also approach radio and retail with the two singles. "Angel On My Shoulder" goes to AC radio Monday (30), while "Livin' For Love" goes to crossover radio Nov. 13 and to club DJs Nov. 16. Then on Jan. 15, 2001, Elektra will ship the latter cut to top 40 radio. It marks the first time the label has worked a Cole cut to that format in 10 years.

Working several formats isn't new to Cole. " 'Unforgettable' drove programmers absolutely nutty," she says with a laugh. "It was being played top 40, next to Metallica. We were actually vying with Metallica for the No. 1 spot several times [on a number of stations]. It was hysterical. Program directors were tearing their hair out because they didn't know what to do."

While the album and its 19 tracks was 25 years in the making, the book encompasses a lifetime of ups and downs, high points, and mistakes that some would think a person would want better left unspoken. "I was approached to write this book 10 years ago, and I ran away from that for a while," the artist says. "One of the reasons was my son's age—he was 11. I didn't want to write a book and then have to have him defend his mother."

She continues, "Plus, I was still young. I hadn't learned as much in life. Then I signed a deal five years ago, and I then went into a second divorce. So, I stopped the process, and it fell off the table again. Finally, Dick Parsons at Time Warner got it back on the table. I felt more ready. It seemed like the time was right to unfold and reveal portions of my life."

While the book was being made into a TV movie, Cole had to watch as actors under the direction of Robert Townsend brought her life to the screen. Then she was called upon to do the same.

"I play me coming out of drug rehab in the movie—my life afterwards," Cole says. "Robert was great, and he made me dig deep. He helped me be me, if that makes sense. It's not as easy as one would think, playing oneself. Robert, however, made it easier."

All of this self-examination can lead an artist through personal and professional transformation. While her last album was more retro-R&B and jazz in nature, the new songs are more straight-up pop—yet another change. And personally, Cole has found a new focus.

"The album, book, and movie have helped me see the patterns in my life," she says. "With all the different things that I got in and out of, I realized that I was the kind of person who thought that I was carving my own path . . . no way. That's not how it works, spiritually. I am a person now who is more focused on what is required of me, instead of what I want to do. I'm not as selfish about my needs as I was 10 years ago or even five years ago."

She adds, "This book unleashed a lot of different feelings. I should be a crazy nut, but it turns out I'm really OK. I look back and think, 'How on earth did I live through this?' I was talking with my collaborator, Digby Diehl, about various items, and it felt like I had to be talking about a different person."

Whether the movie, book, and CD garner the highest sales and ratings of her career doesn't really matter to Cole. Sure, it would be great. But for the artist, it's now about the adventure. "It's my nature to go off on different tangents," she says. "I don't want to be bored. I have to have more than one element in my life. But I don't mind all the change, because if I discover something valuable in it, if I grow, then it's worthwhile."