Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, or Nat King Cole? Who had the greatest voice in music history?

Some will disagree with me, but when one of his CDs is playing I'm sure that Nathaniel Adams Coles was indeed the "King". No one that I have ever heard can compare to the perfect tone and ultimate suave attitude of Nat King Cole.

The World of Nat King Cole (Capitol Records)—the first in a series of releases in 2005 timed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Nat's death—is a beautiful collection which features 28 re-mastered classics that will warm your heart and soul. Produced by his daughter Carole, all of Nat's best are here in some of the clearest renditions that I have ever heard.

We begin our entry to this wonderful World with the Charlie Chaplin-penned "Smile", which Nat recorded with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Other highlights include The King Cole Trio recordings of "It's Only A Paper Moon", "Route 66", "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and the oh-so-smooth "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons".

Orchestral backing added a fuller sound to Nat's material, especially when Nelson Riddle and Billy May stepped in to lead their orchestras on numbers such as "Too Young", "Unforgettable", and "Walkin' My Baby Back Home". Stan Kenton and his orchestra add fun and a punch to the classic "Orange Colored Sky", while McCoy's Boys play the blues with Billy May's orchestra on "Send To Me". There's also "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas, (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps)", the only Spanish language song from his 1958 LP Cole Espanol.

As you would expect all of Cole's classics are represented here. You'll enjoy "Mona Lisa", "On The Street Where You Live", "Ramblin' Rose", "L-O-V-E" and many more, including the live 1960 recording form the Las Vegas Sands hotel of "Thou Swell". Also tacked on near the end of the collection is the "Unforgettable" digital duet with daughter Natalie Cole from 1991. Although Natalie was for a time part of Nat's world and I am sure that she surely did love her father, I'm not convinced that this rendition needed to be included in what is basically a memorial album.

We exit The World of Nat with "Stardust", drifting back amongst the strings and harps of the Capitol studio orchestra into the reality that Nat King Cole has left us once again. But as his voice fades out at least we can always hit play again as we proclaim "long live the King."

The World of Nat King Cole is beautifully packaged, with detailed liner notes by Natalie Cole, photos from the Cole family and Capitol Records archives, and reflective quotes from modern musical legends Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana and Harry Connick, Jr. This collection has obviously been assembled with true love and care. Of course, it would all be a cardboard sky if it weren't for the pure beauty of Nat King Cole's talents.