Graham Reid | | 1 min read
Jools Holland with Allen Toussaint: Whirlawayi
The celebrity-guest collections and
R'N'B Orchestra discs from Jools Holland have often been tasty but a
few not entirely successful. This sometimes breathless rush of
boogie-woogie piano, big brass and handclap gospel-blues comes off a
winner from the opener, a thumping and exciting duet with New Orleans
piano legend Allen Toussaint and Holland playing organ.
Then Ruby Turner – a Holland staple –
steps up for the bluesy good time Roll Out of This Hole, and
roars back later for a gutsy Holland original Remember Me, a
thrilling, horn-driven version of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's This
Train which increases in tempo and intensity, and takes us out
with the always lovely You Are So Beautiful which Joe Cocker
made famous.
Before then however Rosie Mae gets her
mojo working over the tight and tough band, Michael McDonald (usually
at home on vapid faux-soul) steps up a terrific treatment of I Got
News For You and Chas and Dave come in for Holland's co-write
with his old Squeeze compadre Chris Difford on a paean to London (“a
country meadow is fine to see, but these grey streets belong to me”).
Booker T drops by for Ellington's Blues for New Orleans. And
there's more.
The band get space to blow, Holland hammers the old joanna, and this will save you time in housework. Consider the cobwebs blown.
Like that? Then have a look at all the classic r'n'b here.
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