Natalie Cole Makes Party Unforgettable

By Stephen M. Silverman

05/21/2002 at 12:32 PM EDT

Natalie Cole doesn't forget those who helped with her 1991 seven-time Grammy-winning album, "Unforgettable," reports PEOPLE. At the May 17 wedding of former Elektra Records chairman Robert Krasnow to socialite Nada Lantz, Cole paid homage to the man who signed her to the label in 1990 despite her substance abuse problem. As the bride walked down the aisle, Cole, in a long, cream-colored silk dress adorned with a rose pattern, sang "The Very Thought of You," one of Krasnow's favorite tunes -- and, he told PEOPLE, the song that sold him on the "Unforgettable" project (in which Cole sang tunes popularized by her late father, legendary crooner Nat "King" Cole). Her rendition reduced the bride and groom to tears and set the stage for the rest of the ceremony, which was officiated by Cole's husband of seven months, Bishop Kenneth Dupree, 45. Afterwards, at dinner, Cole, 53, said before the 100 wedding guests, "You know how much I dislike speaking in front of crowds. But Bob is the reason I was able to sing that song." And soon she'll be singing even more. As Cole told PEOPLE exclusively, her new album, "As A Woman Who Knows," will be released this September. "It's basically a collection of songs that addresses the story of women who've been around," says Cole. "It's about what they go through in their relationships, which explains the title. It's a mature and evolved look at women in their relationships." After a beat, she adds, "It's not fluff!"