On
“Fire It Up” Joe Cocker rocks out again with producer Matt
Serletic. This album is a slick, polished production with a simpler
approach in the arrangements that allows Joe and these songs to stand
out more. Serletic helps further a continuity of a 'Joe Cocker Sound'
that is a mixture of blues/rock – adult-contemporary, with a modern
touch. There's no flashy musical hooks or solos, but all of the songs
are truly outstanding. The track order is well planned and allows an
overall album feel to develop.
The
musical highlights include: Delicious Background Vocals with some
Hammond Organ, Lighter more distinctive Drums, Blues/Rock Guitar,
Occasional Acoustic Guitar, Clear Piano Play along with the
occasional horns.
Joe
Cocker is a gifted and soulful song stylist and seemed to always make
his song selections his very own. Many of his versions have since
become so associated with his voice and style, that other
interpretations of the same songs seem empty and hollow.
Some
artists' vocal abilities diminish with age, especially female
vocalists, but that's not the case with some of the male vocalists,
some age well. Joe is one of these exceptions, where his distinctive
voice, matured with age, is as good as ever.
I rate
this 4-Stars and say it's a must have. It's definitely an album
you'll play over and over.
You can
find it on Amazon or you could stream it from YouTube, whichever you
choose, be sure to check it out.
Favorite
tracks: Fire It Up, I'll Be Your Doctor, I Come in Peace, Eye on the
Prize and I'll Walk In The Sunshine Again
- "Fire It Up"
- "I'll Be Your Doctor"
- "You Love Me Back"
- "I Come in Peace"
- "You Don't Need a Million Dollars"
- "Eye on the Prize"
- "Younger"
- "You Don't Know What You're Doing to Me"
- "The Letting Go"
- "I'll Walk in the Sunshine Again"
- "Weight of the World"
The
album clocks in at just over 42 minutes. There are extra tracks on a
Jewel Case Edition and another Deluxe Edition also includes a DVD.
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