By Alexander Tresniowski/Reported by Wendy Cole

After 16 years in the music business, Natalie Cole finally found the nerve to record songs made famous by her father, the legendary Nat King Cole. The result, Unforgettable, bumped Van Halen out of the top spot on Billboard's pop charts last week. "Hearing the album for the first time made me proud, sad and happy," says Natalie, who sings an unforgettable electronically produced "duet" with her father on the title track. "It was like we were singing to each other. It was a great feeling." How would Nat, who died in 1965, react to the success of his daughter's tribute to him? "He'd get the biggest kick out of it. He had no idea I would be a singer."