Search - Jools Holland :: Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues

Terrific Music and a Sentimental Farewell

o dubhthaigh | north rustico, pei, canada | 01/10/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For me, the big reason to buy this CD was the George Harrison contribution, "Horse to Water". It is a GREAT song, and a brilliant Harrison song at that. George sounds weak, and I am not sure if Clapton has stepped in on some of the guitar parts, but what a brilliant and fun piece of music, worthy to be held in the highest esteem among its author's ouvre. IT is reason enough to buy the CD.As to the rest, the music is uniformly terrific and quite a dance record! There are some weak spots, notably Sting, who is turning into Rod Stewart, and unfortunately he misses all the bravado a Blues Singer would have brought to "Seventh Son". I am sure Willie Dixon is turning in his grave. Later on Steve Winwood gives a demonstration on just how well a white guy can sing Dixon if he wants to. Van Morrison continues to annoint himself Ireland's standard bearer for delivering songs from America's jazz and R & B catalog. On this one, he essays Louis Armstrong. Van tends to get all the notes right, but there is something missing. It is all quite reverently treated, but it is not the same, nor an effective redirection. You get the impression that Van is still covering past heroes until inspiration returns. As to the rest of the CD, most of it is truly amazing. The pairing of Micah Paris and David Gilmore is genius. Clapton redeems his reputation ("Reptile" is a horror)with his contribution, Stereophonic, Marc Almond, and all the others have made Holland's vision spectacular, especially John Cale, of all people.
At the end of the disc, though, you are brought back to Harrison. It is a sentimental farewell to an often underated (yeah, underated, inspite of The Beatles) artist who could turn out sheer genius when you were not looking. Maybe that was it with George. So long as you were not zeroing in on him, he could blow the doors off everyone in his quiet and unassuming way. The spotlight didn't work. Beware of Darkness, though, because George was there in the shadows crafting gems that will live on brilliantly for a very long time. "Horse to Water" is the latest and one of the brightest."

An energetic buried treasure

Adrien Begrand | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 01/25/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Yeah, Jools Holland used to be in Squeeze, but to me he's always been the affable host of the BBC's Later..., one of the best music programs on television today. His new cd, featuring a whopping twenty-three guest artists, is like one big episode of Later..., each guest stepping in with their own variation on R & B (with either covers or originals), with Hooland's piano work the centrepiece throughout. It all works: sometimes rather blandly, like the way-out-of-his-element Sting singing a Willie Dixon song (give the stale crooner credit for trying), or spectaularly, like the last song ever recorded by the late George Harrison.Come on, reader, fess up: you're looking at this web page because you're drawn by Harrison's song, and you have every reason to. 'Horse To The Water' is a towering piece of work, made all the more bittersweet by Harrison's passing. Co-written with his son Dhani, Harrison ruminates on life, in a very similar way as Bob Dylan's 'Things Have Changed', singing in his startlingly weakened voice (recorded less than two months before he died), "You can have it all staked out in front of you/but it still don't make you think." Harrison's trademark dry wit emerges in the last verse, where he tells the story of his challenging a bible-beating preacher about God's realisation, but is rebuked by the preacher, who says "We ain't got time for that/First you must hear the evils of fornication." It's like 'Think For Yourself' some thirty-odd years later, a fitting final message from George to the world.'Horse To The Water' is the brightest highlight on Holland's cd, but everything else is good, too. The best songs, by Sam Brown, the inimitable Dr. John, Stereophonics (who pump some funky energy into 'Revolution', easily blowing away the Stone Temple Pilots' recent version), the still-cheeky Suggs, Mark Knopfler, the always-great Van Morrison, the surprisingly schmaltzy John Cale, Taj Mahal, a reggae-fied Jay Kay, an Eric Clapton who sounds like he's actually putting in an effort for a change, and Marc Almond (who contributes an original tune that's utterly gorgeous), all make Holland's album all the more worthwhile. Harrison's song may have led you to this cd like the proverbial horse to water, but don't be swayed. Just sit back, and drink it all in."

NEW DISCOVERIES FOR ME.

Adrien Begrand | 01/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this CD for one reason. I had seen the DVD
Concert for George and loved it. Among the best offerings on
the DVD was the Sam Brown/Jools HOlland rendition of Horse to
Water by George. Except for the words, I would never have
guessed that it was a Harrison song. It was too R&B. So I was
curious to see how he handled it. Well, he does not have the
powerhouse voice of Sam Brown, but I was in fact really
surprised at how well he did, helped greatly by the
superb backup band. I would not have recognized his voice.
I am sure his throat cancer was behind that. Another
reviewer suggested that Eric Clapton helped him out on the
guitar. I couldn't say, but the credits do say that his son
Dhani was involved with the recording and I assume that he was
a guitarist. Sam Brown is clearly recognizable as the back
up vocalist. And Jools' piano is rockin', as it is all over this
CD. Except for Sting, Mark Knopfler, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and
Steve Winwood, I had never heard of any of the other performers
before and that goes for Sam Brown and Jools himself before
the Concert for George DVD. But I am listening to it now as I
am writing and I find that it is really growing on me. The
piano is uniformly marvelous; my favorite performances so far are
Horse to Water, Valentine Moon, I'm Ready, I Put a Spell on You,
and Mark Knopfler sounding like Elvis on Mademoiselle Will
Decide. I am sure that after listening to it a few more
times, others will be added to the list. As I said, it grows
on you."