Heart and Soul - Joe Cocker Album Review

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Album Review

Paul Weller's just done it, The Beautiful South have just done it - so why not Joe Cocker ? A 'covers' album that is. Old gravel neck, returns with 12 standards on his new album Heart and Soul, celebrating 40 years since his first single in 1964. This throaty, emotive pop - rock singer, born in Sheffield on 20 May 1944, certainly knows a thing or two about belting out a song. He made his impact covering the Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends back in 1968. He also made a huge impact at Woodstock the following year. At the 1988 Princes' Trust Concert, he showed Marti Pellow ( of Wet Wet Wet ) the door, as he joined him, and blew him off stage - a truly wonderful moment ! It now seems appropriate he seeks out other classics. It's not the first time he's gone into this territory, as he regularly includes one or two on albums he consistently does well with across mainland Europe. It's loaded with top class musicians - Steve Lukathur (Toto) Jeff Skunk Baxter ( ex - Steely Dan ), Jeff Beck ( ex -Yardbirds )

Dean Parks, and yes - Eric Clapton. Collectively, they provide the perfect backdrop for this ballsy blast : it's no more than you'd expect, knowing his vocal reputation. It's not all out and out rock though, as he tenderly handles some fantastic songs from the likes of Paul McCartney, Marvin Gaye, U2, and Rose Royce. At the core of it is R'n'B and Soul, with a kind of Blues Brothers feel.

Most of it works to perfection, there are some duff ones though like Jealous Guy ( who could ever match Roxy Music's version ? ) Best bits are : Chain Of Fools, One, Maybe I'm Amazed and Every Kind Of People.

Cocker recently said, "It's not about trying to better something. It's about trying to add a little flavour of your own." He's certainly done that - and how.

Elly Roberts