Swing

Week 46: Michael Ball & Alfie Boe- Together at Home

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It’s Christmasss! Hahaha, as Noddy Holder from Slade once bellowed. I find it wholly appropriate to say that because, once again, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe sit atop the album chart, and it always makes for a great Christmas present. The duo first teamed up in 2014, and six records on have been quite a success. This album is also a poignant milestone—it marks a decade of their beautiful collaboration.

I am also surprised to discover that I might just well be the FIRST individual to review this new record. No pressure, then, eh? One of the first tracks I would like to highlight is their cover of Heather Small’s ‘Proud’. The song represents the duo’s pride in their roots, welcoming people from all backgrounds into their world and feeling proud of their families.

‘Homeward Bound’ was chosen because it is about being on the road and longing for home. The great American sonwriter Paul Simon also wrote it in Widnes train station.

‘Welcome Home’ is by a small American band called The Welcome Home, which is from the same place as R.E.M. The song combines a modern hymn with a Southern American style of Coldplay. Boe discovered it while trawling through Spotify.

Seeing ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ by Gerry and the Pacemakers on the album was a personal highlight for me. As a fan of Liverpool, and knowing that Boe is also a red, it’s a special connection. Another standout is the timeless ‘Baker Street’ by Gerry Rafferty. The album is a treasure trove of classics like ‘Dirty Old Town’, Take That’s ‘Rule the World’, The Hollies ‘He Ain’t, He’s My Brother’. But my heart belongs to the closing track ‘What’s the Craic? (An Irish Medley)’. This track, a medley of traditional songs from Mother Ireland, including ‘The Irish Rover’, is a perfect ending to a brilliant album. It’s a medley that’s perfect for any celebration or festivity.

Song recommendations: ‘What’s the Craic? (An Irish Medley)’, ‘Dirty Old Town’, ‘Welcome Home’

8/10

Week 9: Rod Stewart & Jools Holland- Swing Fever

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Well, it goes without saying that I am a big fan of Jools Holland; as you know, I discover many bands/artists through his show. Jools started off as the keyboardist in Squeeze before leaving to go solo while presenting The Tube on channel 4. He then went on to form His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and present the Late Show’s spin-off “Later…with Jools Holland in a pokey studio in Shepherd’s Bush. The show would expand and move to Maidstone Studios in 2011 (The Annual Hootenanny still takes place there.) before returning to Shepherd’s Bush in 2019 and then moving onto the current venue deep in the bowls of Alexandra Palace, where the first television broadcast for the BBC took place. The show had a live half-hour midweek show until 2019 before reverting back to a show that lasted just an hour on weekends from 2020 onwards. Of course, the series during 2020/21 was locked down, so it was limited to one guest per episode discussing their music and their favourite moments from the show’s archives with other bands/artists performing elsewhere. Now, onto Rod Stewart. I have no idea when how I came into his music because my mum is a big fan of his, and during the 80s/90s, she would go to quite a lot of his London shows. I guess I grew up with his music.

As you know, Rod was in the Faces with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, among others. He then decided to go solo, and the rest is history. He has amassed hit after hit and collaborated with a slew of artists.

You might think, “What’s the point of this album? It will be the usual compilation”. Well, I didn’t share that notion after listening to them talk about the project on the One Show and Jools’ Later Show. I know it all started after a love of building model railways, et cetera( Look closely at the opening credits of Later…with Jools Holland from 2015 onwards. You will see what I mean.). Honestly, I knew this wouldn’t be a compilation album with no love put in, because Jools and Rod are passionate about Swing. One thing that I was surprised about was the front cover. Why is Rod, with a whiskey shot, sitting in front of Jools, while Jools is in the background, sitting on a table leaning on an upside-down chair in what looks like a bar setting? This is supposed to be a collaboration. They should have been sat parallel to express this. The cover art gives the impression that this is Rod’s record.

As the album is set around the Big Band Era, the bulk of the songs are strikingly short, falling under the 3-minute mark regularly. This is how it used to be back in that era so that they could be played on the radio. Of course, songs can now qualify for anything up to five minutes. Talking of five minutes, the opener ‘Lullaby of Broadway’ is the longest track on the record, packed with brass, Rod’s swooning vocals and Jools’ iconic boogie-woogie. This is followed by ‘Oh Marie’ with more of the same, but much shorter. ‘Sentimental Journey’ is where Rod’s vocals hit top gear surrounded by brass and trumpets. Jools takes centre stage on ‘Pennies from Heaven’ with his band backing their leader. Rod’s vocals synchronise with Jools and his band on ‘Night Train’.

Rod and Jools have a lot of fun on this album. Where it falls down for me is that I thought this was supposed to be a collaboration. Too often on this record, I felt Rod was taking centre stage, and Jools was simply blending into the background. Jools is a phenomenal boogie-woogie player, but there wasn’t enough of that for me. We were not shown Jools’ pure craft on the piano. However, if you want an upbeat album for a knees-up, then this is it. 

Song recommendations: ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Night Train’, ‘Oh Marie’

8/10

Week 13: Michael Bublé- Higher

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It’s great when I don’t have to do a little introduction of an artist/band. However, I was astonished that this is his 11th album, four years since he released “Love”. Unfortunately for Michael, he has been pigeonholed into Christmas. In September, which is the official build-up, Michael appears. My first review of one of his albums was last year’s first number-one. However, Michael has done virtually a covers record this time with two new ones thrown in.

I was wrong. It is four new ones that complete the 13-track album. Indeed, the lead single is an original titled ‘I’ll Never Not Love You’, an optimistic song about love surrounded by big band and swing that wouldn’t look out of place being performed by the Rat Pack. As usual, Michael has hit his audience. That’s what you associate with him with his silky and bombastic vocals. ‘Baby I’ll Wait’, written with John Mayer, sees soul and rock collide. Michael can blend his songs with the classics he puts on albums and effortlessly sings during live performances.

So far, I am talking about the original songs Michael wrote. I am not sure they were meant to be on “Higher” because the other nine tracks are covers. Let’s look at the title track. It has a Latino feel to it, wrapped around upbeat instrumentation. Then, the final original title is ‘Mother’. Funnily enough, it is Mother’s Day weekend, and how apt that there is a track by that title on this newly-crowned number 1 record. Of course, as you can tell by the title, Michael is paying homage to his mum, and the method used is a ballad. It is also refreshing to see that Michael is more than just a tremendous cover version singer. His work shows how talented he is.

I just remembered about another original: the second track, ‘My Valentine, ‘ done with the Beatles legend Paul McCartney. 

Yes, it is a song about love, and if I remember rightly, he brings up Valentine’s Day, too. This track starts quietly before bursting into a big band and will be one to watch on the forthcoming tour. What surprises you most about Michael is his ability to record covers still and add originality to them. He has done countless covers, and you would have thought by now that he would be in a cul-de-sac, but no. He still has the knack.

Leading off from the covers section in the previous paragraph, He does a tremendous and jazz-inspired cover of Bob Dylan’s’Make You Feel My Love’. Meanwhile, Adele and Bryan Ferry kept it more in line with the original, which was melancholic. It is the best cover of the song I have heard and is my favourite. Michael has fun with it. 

You can hear the smile through his uptempo vocals; as I mentioned, the jazz element leaves you feeling fuzzy. He also covers the late Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy’ with Country legend Willie Nelson on guitar. I am sure they exchange verses, too, and Willie provides backing vocals. 

The final cover I liked on the record featured in the latter half is of the late Barry White’s ‘You’re My First, My Last, My Everything’. You’d think this would be more soul, but Michael again has fun. This time, he puts a disco spin on it—an astounding change-up of sound on the album. Michael sticks to what he knows best for most of the record: big band and swing. However, he ventures into soul, a bit of country, jazz, and, more surprisingly, disco. There is no doubting his vocals, though. It wouldn’t matter if this album were panned because he has the vocals to nail any live performance. He missed a trick not releasing this in the autumn/winter because the tracks’ production and uplifting nature leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. I felt like I should have been sitting next to a log fire with my feet on a stool with a hot drink. I know it’s only March, but we are heading into Spring, and despite the rain outside, it feels warm. Michael missed a trick here on what is a splendid record.

Song recommendations: ‘Make You Feel My Love’, ‘You’re My First, My Last, My Everything’, ‘Crazy’

8/10














Week 49: Gary Barlow- Music Played by Humans

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Whatever you may think about the chief songwriter and band member in Take That, he knows how to write a fucking song. As far as I am aware, he’s also bizarrely a Liverpool fan from Manchester, which is quite a rarity. Although his solo career didn’t go too well after the break up of Take That (They reformed in 2005 and are still going strong to date.), he was still very successful behind the scenes, writing songs for various artists and some of the songs he wrote for them might surprise you because you thought he was the forgotten man. So, is this Gary’s second solo album? It’s called “Music Played by Humans”, released almost two decades after his debut.

“Who’s Driving This Thing?” opens the record, and Gary can be heard introducing the album to the band in the studio and sharing laughs and jokes with them. It sets the mood for the whole record, which is very big band and swing. I’m not sure if he writes for Michael Buble (Who, funnily enough, does feature.), but the delivery is very much the same as how Michael would do it.

“The Big Bass Drum” is one of the essential tracks on the album, and Gary selflessly lets the musicians and the band take the limelight and blends in by accompanying them. For once, he hasn’t taken centre stage.

Again, Gary shows his abilities as a songwriter by switching moods and subjects. In “This Is My Time”, he talks about dying from love. “Enough is Enough” featuring Beverley Knight might prove his ability to write songs on any subject, but this track is not as melancholic as the title suggests. Now, the next track I thought I would want to skip and hate with a passion is “the Kind of Friend I Need”. Why? Because James Corden is on it, but he can sing, and it works. You can hear them ribbing each other between their verses, and as the album closes, James proclaims that he’s the best singer on the track. Gary replies, “It’s my album, you know?” I found the whole track lighthearted and funny. If you like big band and swing, this album is for you. I also was surprised to find out this from Gary. This kind of record should be played at restaurants or lounge bars. Very easy on the ear, funny, and guaranteed to make you feel upbeat.

NB: I later discovered that this is (Incredibly.) It’s Gary’s fifth solo studio album.

Song recommendations: “the Kind of Friend I Need”, “the Big Bass Drum”, “This is My Time”

8/10