Covers album from the man who brought the world the definitive version of the Beatles’ With A Little Help From My Friends back in 1968.,
Since then a string of less impressive singles have followed, but he continues
to roll out the albums, this one making No.14 in the charts.
Scouring the songbooks of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty Andy Fairweather-Lowe,
Joe Cocker does his usual personal interpretations with sparkling
effect. By definition, it’s the voice that does all the real work here, though
the various band line-ups that include one of the greatest drummers in the
world, Jim Keltner, have done a fine job too.
In most part, this album really works, though it has some weak spots. In
charge of the decks is wunderkind Ethan Johns whose midas touch has helped
Rufus Wainwright, Ryan Adams, Razorlight and Ray Lamontagne. Here, he gets
mixed outcomes.
The best results are found on rasping R&B opener, Stevie Wonder’s You Haven’t
Done Nothin’, where he also plays guitar. A mellow One Word (Peace)
is well handled but is a bit inane in terms of real impact, with Love Is
For Me turning out to be a bit a damp squib. After a ropey start, Don’t
Give Up On Me eventually becomes more interesting with some fine work by
David Palmer on piano and Mike Finnigan on B3, adding an Animals-like quality.
Diamond in the centre is the classy John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) gem,
Long As I Can See The Light which Cocker really finds his moment, supplemented
by Greg Leisz’s stunning steel guitar picks. This is the album’s major highlight.
Harrison’s Beware Of The Darkness is sung well, but it’s an awkward song
for Cocker, and a tad limp.
Reggae-African sprinkled Just Pass It On is well arranged with some
great touches from backups . Ragtagle pub rocker Rivers Invitation is
a major low point, with Dylan’s Ring Them Bells isn’t really Cocker
territory for me. Lightweight R&B title track Hymn 4 My Soul fairs better,
with Cocker finding his feet once again.
1. You Haven’t Done Nothin’
2. One Word (Peace)
3. Love Is For Me
4. Don’t Give Up On Me
5. Long As I Can See The Light
6. Beware Of The Darkness
7. Just Pas It On
8. Rivers Invitation
9. Ring Them Bells
10. Hymns 4 My Soul
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
