With the release of Natalie Cole's 1981 Album Happy Love the comparosons of Nat King Cole,Aretha Franklin,Diana Ross,Chaka Khan,Ella Fitzgerald,and Nancy Wilson are almost nonexistant as well as broadening her style from the 1970's into the 1980's.There is the Country of You We're Right Girl,Nothin'But A Fool,The Joke Is On You,I Can't Let Go,and Love And Kisses.The R&B of Only Love and the Remake of Pearcy Sledge's When A Man Loves A Woman,the Rock of The Guess Who Remake These Eyes,and the final Disco of Across The Nation.

For a title like "Happy Love," one would expect happy love songs or at the very least happy uptempo jams with happy messages. However, what u get here is a strange platter of painstakingly heartbreaking songs about cheaters, players and God only knows what else up in this awful mix of tunes. I think what could be to blame here is the fact that on the prior album, Miss Natalie attempted (and with incredible results) to tackle a huge Pop song, the awesome and poignant, "Someone That I Used to Love." On "Happy Love," only ONE SONG comes close to that, which was the second single, "Nothin' But A Fool." The only problem was that this song was corny, over the top and too, too rooted in an MOR Rock format. It's not that her tigerish vocals couldn't handle such a song; it's that the fans were not impressed as they were with the former ("Someone") gorgeously written and produced hit. "Happy Love" could have been better, but at this time in her career, she was in a downward spiral of sorts and on many levels. Sadly, it showed in the music this time around. It's not to say that "Happy Love" isn't a good album, because it IS. It's just not up there with her BEST albums and it's painfully apparent. Oddly too, Capitol keeps this one around, but for some reason refuses to reissue (since 1996) her Gold and Platinum efforts. Money talks and the Industry is a filthy, beastly machine. If she hadn't survived her kidney transplant, you can BET that Capitol would have created a boxed set for sure.