We are such fans of Natalie Douglas! That voice! Those arrangements! All she stands for- we are FANS! We had the chance to have a special in-depth chat about her new album "Back To The Garden" now streaming!

Back to the Garden is a potent mix of golden age standards, pop gems of the Woodstock generation, and special surprises. Highlights include a vivacious big band arrangement of the Cole Porter classic “Begin the Beguine;” a tender, lilting version on the ballad “You’ll Never Know,” with a sensuous string arrangement; a charming jazz age take on the Kern, Hammerstein and Harbach gem “Who?;” and a driving rock-inspired interpretation of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.”

The emotional centerpiece of the album is “Love Is the Power That Heals Me,” a soaring anthem written just for Natalie by Club44 label co-founders Wayne Haun and Joel Lindsey. “The lyrics feel so very me,” Natalie reflects. “This song is brand new and sounds completely 21st century, but it has some of that mid-century flavor that I first heard in my parents’ record collection. I will always be an unabashed fan of clear, full-throated singing and direct, romantic lyrics.”

The album’s buried treasure is “He Lives in a World of His Own,” a majestic song with the seductive build of a vintage James Bond theme, written by Lionel Bart, the Tony Award-winning creator of the stage musical Oliver! Natalie discovered it while researching her tribute to the iconic Dame Shirley Bassey. Bart wrote this as special material for Bassey’s audition for Oliver!’s tragic heroine, Nancy. Even though the role ultimately went to to Georgia Brown, history has left us with this showstopper for Natalie to unearth.

“Trust in Me” originates from the beloved Disney movie The Jungle Book. “I was obsessed with The Jungle Book as a child!,” Natalie recalls. “I swear I drove my parents batty singing the songs incessantly! When it came time to create this album, I couldn’t resist the chance to take ‘Trust in Me’ in a whole different direction. I love how the lyric promises safety and comfort, but the music lets you know there’s an undercurrent of danger. That’s what brings out the sex in this song – even though it’s meant for children. Genius!”

Natalie’s version of “Work Song” is an homage to Nina Simone, whom she previously honored with a full album. “Nina is my inspiration in all things,” she comments. “She was brilliant, ferocious, resilient, utter genius, so I’ll never tire of singing her material. I was all in when Wayne suggested re-recording this, which I first sang on the 2005 recording of my Nina Simone show at Birdland. I will always love that live performance – we had such a blast! And now it makes me so happy to re-record a brass-centric version of this song all these years later.”

Back to the Garden closes with her heartfelt rendition of “True Colors,” popularized by Cyndi Lauper in the ‘80s. “This song means so much to those of us who’ve felt unseen or unwelcome in this world,” Natalie concludes. “Cyndi Lauper is that fusion of artist and activist that is vital to creative life. The world has made progress in the almost 40 years since this song came out, but there are forces working overtime to return us to the Dark Ages, when anyone not straight, not white, not cis or not gentile, wasn’t truly safe or fully a citizen. It feels important to record our version of this song right now.”

Stream the album wherever music is heard!

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