Singer Joe Jackson has always had a jazzer’s heart. Remember that 1984 album Body and Soul where he did a spot on imitation of a Sonny Rollins Blue Note session? This latest release has him going to the Duke Ellington songbook, and it’s not bad! His voice has aged VERY well, better, in fact than Iggy Pop who shares a vocal on “It Don’t Mean A Thing.” There is a mix of the old and new, forward thinking and campy all throughout, and for the most part it works well. Some of the guests include all stars like Regina Carter/violin, Chrisitan McBride/b and Steve Vai, making the instrumentals like “The Mooche” and “Rockin’ in Rhythm” enjoyable, while Sharon Jones sounds right at ease on “A Ain’t Got Nuthin’ But The Blues.” The album comes across as a tribute to an era when the actual song was the selling point, and not the attitude of the deliverer, something we would all be better off if we remembered.
Razor & Tie Records
www.razorandtie.com