Joe Cocker Heart & Soul CD

Since his soulful, slowed-down version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" put him on the pop-music map, Joe Cocker has been particularly savvy in choosing outstanding material. HEART & SOUL (2005) proves Cocker's uncanny knack for picking listener favorites--and ones that suit his distinctively rugged, raspy voice, no less--hasn't diminished over time. Contemporary rock-radio classics take the lion's share of the set here, with an exception made for Leiber & Stoller (Cocker's stirring rendition of "I [Who Have Nothing]" is particularly notable).

The emotional depth and pathos inherent in U2's "One" and R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" are perfect vehicles for the singer's impassioned approach and sandpaper pipes, and Cocker makes every pause and melodic nuance count with his gut-wrenching delivery. John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" and Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed"--two post-Beatles classics--are dusted off and given fine readings here. His versions of "What's Going On" and "Chain of Fools" effectively go toe-to-toe with the definitive versions by Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin, respectively. Cocker holds up admirably, and, in the end, turns in one of his most satisfying releases in years.

When he came to popular attention in the late '60s, Joe Cocker reinvigorated and to a certain extent reinvented the art of interpretive singing at a time when it seemed to have been put in the shade permanently by the rise of singing songwriters led by Bob Dylan and the Beatles. Just when it seemed that no one but the songwriters themselves had the right to sing their songs, Cocker came along giving a gruff, pleading rendition of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends" that stood in stark contrast to Ringo Starr's happy-go-lucky version. But on his many albums, Cocker usually made sure to balance his carefully selected covers of well-known material with previously unknown tunes so that he was able to originate some material. On Heart & Soul, which marks the 60-year-old singer's return to major-label status (it was released on EMI internationally in October 2004 and on Universal's New Door imprint in the U.S. in February 2005), he doesn't bother with the new stuff; this one's all standards. The songs date from the 1950s, '60s, '70s, and '90s, and are drawn from R&B, pop/rock, and alternative rock stalwarts ranging from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to former Beatles, and contemporary acts U2 and R.E.M.. Producer Jeffrey C.J. Vanston makes a point of referencing the hit versions of the songs in the arrangements, which leave room for the talents of a who's-who of guest guitarists including Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Steve Lukather. Cocker's familiar growls and cracked crooning make the songs his own, as usual, and as usual he claims the material without any sense of exclusivity. He never makes you forget the accomplished singers who did these songs before (sometimes more than one of them -- "I Keep

New Studio Album Of Covers + Originals.

Recording information: Capitol Studios B (10/30/2004); Night Of The Proms 2004, Antwerp, Belgium (10/30/2004); Royaltone Studios (10/30/2004); The Treehouse (10/30/2004).

Photographer: Kevin Westenberg.

Arrangers: Franck Vander Heijden; Jeffrey "C.J." Vanston.

Personnel: Joe Cocker (vocals); Vinnie Colaiuta (guitar, drums); Dean Parks, Gene Black, Michael Hart Thompson , Laurie Wisefield, Michael Landau, Shane Fontayne (guitar); Bruce Gaitsch (acoustic guitar); Jerry Goodman (violin); Bruce Eskovitz (saxophone); Chris Botti, Chris Tedesco , Bill Churchville (trumpet); Nick Lane (trombone); Nick Milo (piano); Jeffrey "C.J." Vanston, John Miles (keyboards); Lee Sklar, C.J. Vancston (bass guitar); Trevor Murrell (drums); Liv CanAelst, Marjolein Cneut, Jille Bemelmans, Terry Dexter, Bernie Barlow, C.C. White (background vocals); Eric Clapton, Jeff Baxter, Jeff Beck, Steve Lukather (guitar); Ray Brinker (drums); Rafael Padilla (percussion).

Audio Mixers: Greg Ladanyi; JRolling Stone (No. 966, p.60) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[S]heffield's finest still delivers the goods on HEART & SOUL....he reminds you why he's one of the few singers to actually deserve comparison to Ray Charles."