When Natalie Cole, daughter of legendary Nat King Cole and 10-time Grammy award-winning rhythm and blues singer, kicked off her Jakarta concert with Frank Sinatra's "Come Rain or Come Shine", she struck a chord with the crowd who had braved the sheeting rain to spend the evening with her.
Cole's Monday night performance at the Grand Melia Hotel ballroom was above all a tribute to the great American songbook, from "Coffee Time", a recommendation from Tony Bennett, to Frank Sinatra's "L-O-V-E" and "Nice *n' Easy", as well as paying homage to her late father, jazz pianist and singer King Cole.
"I am going to make a little love to you all night long with some of the most unforgettable songs," Cole said after spoiling her audience with "Something's Gotta Give", another classic from her latest album of great American standards Still Unforgettable (2008).
Jakarta was lucky to spend an unforgettable night with 59-year-old Cole, after she cancelled her Bangkok concert last week due to ill health. Last July, she went public about her hepatitis C infection, a liver disease she believes she contracted while sharing dirty needles in the 1980s.
After spending a week in hospital last September to treat her liver infection, she cancelled her October tour dates in order to rest. Since then, her life has been a pattern of dialysis treatment and bouts of chemotherapy.
But that did not deter her from dazzling the audience with her sultry, velvet voice, dressed in an elegant, creamy white gown and glittering diamonds.
There was no doubt in any spectator's mind that the King was more present in his daughter's life than ever, even if he passed away when she was only 15.
"I am going to sing you a song that was made popular by my dad in the 1950s. We're doing it like dad, because dad is dad, and dad is the King," she said, before infusing life and a feminine touch into one of her father's favorites, "Somewhere Along the Way".
The show reached its pinnacle with two songs she crooned as a duet with her late father: "Walking My Baby Back Home", recorded on her Still Unforgettable album, and "Unforgettable" from her Unforgettable with Love (1991) album.
"We were involved in a big conversation about what we might do with dad," said Cole. "I think you will like what we came up with."
When it came King Cole's turn to sing, the audience was taken aback when his voice filled the ballroom with the help of advanced recording technology, while black and white slides of him singing during his heyday flickered behind Cole.
But Cole also reminded the audience of her versatility and successful career when she switched to her own treasure chest of hits.
Cole's career began back in 1975 with her debut album Inseparable, which earned her a number one single, "There Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" and two Grammy awards. Her other famous singles include "Inseparable", "I've Got Love on My Mind" and a remake of Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac".
"I am going to change the energy a little," she said before launching into her 1980s famous break-up song "I Miss You Like Crazy". Middle-aged couples were seen cozying up to each other at the sounds of "When I Fall in Love".
After a little more than an hour's performance, Cole suddenly exited the stage, leaving her spectators begging for more until she came out for one encore only, "Let There Be Love", another diamond in her dad's repertoire.
The night finished with a breathtaking duo between Cole and her trumpet player, Cole effortlessly matching every sound coming out of the trumpet with equally high-reaching notes, leaving her audience in a dizzy spin.
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