Gordon Haskell Collection: 18 Of His Finest Songs CD

Gordon Haskell's solo music is an interesting mix of soul and pop influences, far removed from his most well-known group affiliation, with King Crimson (1970-1971). Based on the evidence of the 18 songs here, culled from his 1990s recordings, Haskell's voice hasn't held up as well as that of Greg Lake, his predecessor in Crimson, but it is an expressive instrument in its own right and very good for the kind of music he prefers, American soul; one can detect the influences of Ray Charles, Dr. John, Al Green, Marvin Gaye et al., and he clearly loves the '60s and '70s music he's emulating and assimilating. The effect is rather a slightly older take on the kind of material that propelled Phil Collins to stardom, with perhaps a greater sense of love for the actual sound. Strangely enough, some of the material does show the influence of progressive rock, the synthesizer chorus that opens "Hambledon Hill" leading into a kind of dignified progressive pop -- much of the rest here is more focused on wailing saxes than electronic keyboards. It's all pleasant and even alluring and memorable, if not exactly exciting, and some of it, such as "All My Life," probably should have been a hit. The notes are reasonably informative, though one wishes there were a list of the players on each track as well. ~ Bruce Eder

Budget-price compilation for the artist responsible for the surprise hit of 2001 hit, 'How Beautiful You Are'. These 18 tracks are the perfect accompaniment to his 2002 album, 'Harry's Bar'. Metro. 2002.