SIMONE WADDELL
‘UNFORGETTABLE’
Single Review

(29th October 2025)

Review by Melanie Griffiths

.

.

Covering a classic like Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable is a dangerous game, a bit like repainting the Mona Lisa. But Simone Waddell pulls it off with disarming poise, sidestepping imitation and instead giving us a version that feels quietly confident in its own skin. Her voice doesn’t belt or boast; it glides. Each phrase lands like the brush of silk on glass, measured, elegant and full of knowing restraint that will no doubt thrill jazz lovers.

This isn’t a time-capsule piece, though. Waddell surrounds herself with musicians who know how to make a classic breathe again. Nadje Noordhuis’s flugelhorn floats through the song like smoke curling in low light, intimate, yearning and just shy of heartbreak. Paul Grabowsky’s piano grounds the scene with gentle sophistication; his playing hums beneath the surface, all subtle tension and late-night conversation. Together, they wave a sound so polished you could drink a martini from it.

.

‍

.

‍

.

As Waddell reflects, this song has always “held a special place in her heart,” and that affection hums through every note. You can hear her sense of return when she says recording Unforgettable “felt like coming home”, the comfort of familiarity met with the thrill of rediscovery. That honesty, warmth and depth she describes radiates throughout the performance. Everything sits exactly where it should: warm, close and open enough to let silence have its say. It’s the kind of recording that whispers rather than shouts, trusting you’ll lean in.

Waddell’s Unforgettable doesn’t try to outshine its lineage, it extends an invitation to it. She’s not about chasing old conventions, she’s slow-dancing with them. The result is a rendition that feels both timeless and slyly fresh, proof that reverence and reinvention can occasionally share a glass of wine and flirt a little.

.

.

Composer: Irving Gordon

Recording and Production Credits

Lead Vocal: Simone Waddell – Recorded by Michael Tan at Kings X Studio – Sydney, Australia
Piano: Paul Grabowsky – Recorded by Trevor Carter at Empire Music Studios – Melbourne, Australia
Flugelhorn: Nadje Noordhuis – Recorded by Nadje Noordhuis at Little Mystery Studios – New York, U.S.A
Mixed and Mastered by Michael Tan at Kings X Studio – Sydney, Australia
Produced by Simone Waddell

.

.

Follow SIMONE WADDELL
Website – Instagram – Facebook – SpotifyApple Music – X – Soundcloud – YouTube

‍

‍Press Release 1st October 2025 (below) HERE

SIMONE WADDELL
releases new single
‘UNFORGETTABLE’
feat PAUL GRABOWSKY
and NADJE NOORDHUIS

.

.