Customer Reviews

Heart & Soul

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These days people my age (mid 50's) are hard pressed to find any worthwhile new recordings to purchase. That is why I usually revert to buying anthologies. Joe Cocker's new studio release "Heart and Soul" is just about the best new album I have heard come down the pike in quite some time. To begin with, Joe Cocker is not some aging rocker whose skills have diminished and is just trying to hang on. Rather, Joe Cocker is still a very viable artist who according to my ears has not lost it one bit.

"Heart and Soul" offers the listener a dozen outstanding tracks including Joe's brand new single release "One" which was written by U2. Nice tune. Most of the rest of "Heart & Soul" features new arrangements of some very familiar hits sung in the inimitable Cocker style. I found Joe's treatment of the old Ben E. King classic "I (Who Have Nothing)" to be absolutely stunning. I also was moved by his rendition of James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" and by "Every Kind of People" a hit made famous by Robert Palmer in the late 1970's. A very underrated song! Joe Cocker also does a surprisingly fine job on Marvin Gaye's groundbreaking composition "What's Going On". And I would be remiss if I failed to mention his terrific remake of the old Screamin' Jay Hawkins song "I Put A Spell On You". Joe is one of only a handful of artists who could pull off that one off!

So whether you are in the market for some brand new music or find this disc attractive simply for old times sake "Heart and Soul" is sure to tickle your fancy. Unlike the embarrassing stuff Rod Stewart is churning out these days Joe Cocker has turned out an album he can really be proud of. I am quite confident it is a disc that you will play again and again. Highly recommended!!!

I read other reviews and I personally cannot give this CD anything other than 5 stars. One reviewer said his voice sounded tired and weak - are we listening to the same CD??? It's anything but that - I was totally enthralled by Heart & Soul - I bought it as an import a while back (didn't want to want until it came out here) - so I've listened to it many times already. I don't over analyze music as far as production, etc. - I just listen to the voice and the music - I either like it or I don't.

I like the choice of songs on this CD - there aren't any I skip past like I do with other music that I have. My favorites on this one - if I had to pick - are Chain of Fools, One, and Love Don't Live Here Anymore. His voice is strong and if you're a Joe Cocker fan, you'll LOVE this CD!

I had the chance to see him in concert on his Heart & Soul tour in Milwaukee WI last week, and he sang 8 of the songs on this CD. He sounds as great in person as he does on the CD's. I was amazed at how great his voice still is after all these years. He even hit the high notes at the end of "You Are So Beautiful" - Fantastic performance!!I'm so glad he's still touring - this was the first time I've had the chance to see him in person.

All in all, this CD is a highly valued addition to my extensive Joe Cocker music collection!

Every couple of months I treat myself to about a half-dozen or so CDs. I bought this one in my last batch, the only problem with is I played it first and I can't get past it. It's been on continuous rotation, especially the second song "I (Who Have Nothing)." I never particularly cared for this song, it's too schlocky for the tastes of a screaming electric blues fan. But Mr. Cocker takes this song, bounces it off of his adenoids, and zeros it straight into my Heart and Soul. I equate Joe's voice to life itself. If you've managed to get the remnants of your s**t together, life is rough but beautiful, appealing but hard to describe, in tune but not for the faint of heart, soul finding after a long hard search, and blue to the brink of tears while you thrust your fist in the air and shout "Yeah, gimme more." Great job Joe, nice to see that us middle-aged old farts can still get down. Maybe someday I'll have my fill of this album and get around to listening to my other new CDs.

Joe Cocker's appeal has always lain in his poetic ability to dredge up and transmute the tragedy of loss and loneliness into powerful and beautiful dirges, and in the stark contrast between his ragged croak of a voice and a lush background of female vocals, wailing guitars, and slick orchestration. Listening to his songs, one feels as if someone has photographed the grittiest scene of urban despair -- a homeless addict contemplating suicide, perhaps -- and placed it in an ornate frame in a high-class gallery.

This CD contains all of the elements that have made Cocker so popular, and his selection of classic and contemporary songs is superb. A couple of the tracks may be a bit less successful than the rest, but all of them are heartfelt and soulful. While not as sublime as his albums of the late 60s and early 70s, this recording is far superior to some of the CDs he released in the late 90s and early 00s. It marks a clear return to form for the master of misery.

I've been a Joe Cocker fan since Woodstock. I've always thought of him as a rocker. I'm also a huge blues fan and I must admit that I never noticed until Heart & Soul that Joe is one of the best blues singers around today and in that I include someone like Jonny Lang. His cover of One (both the in studio and live versions) is incredible. Sorry, U2, Joe now "owns" that song. Anyone who can take a Tom Jones song (I Who Have Nothing) and make it a blues tune has to be a genius. Plus with the situation in Iraq, Joe does a heartfelt, emotional and most timely version of What's Going On. While taking away nothing from R.E.M., his cover of Everybody Hurts is also world class. With his raspy voice, it sounds like a different song. Thanks, Joe.

Joe Cocker, for 35 years, has always sung from the depths of his soul. And this project clearly is full of soul but encompasses much, much more!! His voice now brings out MUCH rougher and MORE raw sounds of joy, pain, agony, and exhilaration.

The musical arrangements bring contributions from the WHO'S WHO of musicians in the world! Just a few who add their brilliance are Michael Thompson on guitar, Jeff Beck on guitar, Eric Clapton on guitar, Steve Lukather on guitar, Chris Botti on trumpet, Jerry Goodman on violin, Mike Landau on guitar, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on guitar, Rafael Padilla on percussion, Bruce Eskovitz on sax plus many other talents.

In the collection of songs are some written by such artists as John Lennon, U2, Paul McCartney, James Taylor, and Marvin Gaye. Joe sings a fantastic and varied repertoire of songs that were originally recorded by music icons Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, David Bowie, Robert Palmer, Rose Royce, and R.E.M.

"One" has 2 versions on the cd, the opening number which was recorded in the studio (a GORGEOUS weave of soul and subtlety) and the other that closes the album sung live in concert (with STIRRING sensitivity). Joe's vocal on "I (Who Have Nothing)" is NOTHING short of a soulful anthem. "Chain of Fools" is argueably the most glorious version ever recorded! No singer has EVER gotten inside the song "Maybe I'm Amazed" with the sensitivity that Joe has done. He builds this song to a frenzy!! (McCartney must be THRILLED.) "I Keep Forgetting", a cooking and edgy number which builds up to the next BLOW-OUT VERSION EVER RECORDED, "I Put A Spell On You". This haunting vocal pulls out ALL of the stops!!! The engaging arrangement with Eric Clapton's infectious bluesy guitar solo is INCOMPARABLE! Joe gives a wrenching vocal on "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". "Jealous Guy" is a funky tribute to one of John Lennon's songs.

Joe has taken these songs and his other legendary numbers on the road. Most recently when playing the West Coast, he completely sold all of the venues out. WHAT MORE CAN I SAY??? Next he has 3 months of touring in Europe and when he gets back, if you are lucky, I hope you get to see him as I did. But for now, you can purchase this cd and enjoy Joe Cocker at the PEAK OF HIS CAREER.

Several years back when Tina Turner was winding down her fairwell tour Joe Cocker was Tina's opening act(imagine seeing those to legends the same night!)at The Staples Center so I knew that I had to go as I never had the honor of seeing this great singer in concert whom I have enjoyed since his classic masterpiece "Mad Dogs And Englishman"...from the opening number it was clear that Joe Cocker is a classic master in full command of his craft and as Mr. Cocker received numerous standing ovations on that great and memorable evening I knew that Joe definitely had another extraordinary recording forthcoming and this is it and quite possibly the finest to date from his amazing singer whose brilliant career has spanned decades is still going strong! "One" is a tremendous and moving opener that is simply breathtaking in every way and Joe Cocker's deeply passionate vocal defines what great soulful singing is all about..."I (Who Have Nothing)" is darkly haunting and another stunning masterful vocal that goes deep inside this standard with a brilliant arrangement which features Jeff Beck making this smoldering then soaring version the definitive of this classic in a collection that is ultimately full of definitive and great soul-stirring performances. I was quite surprised then disappointed and confused at some of the weird negative reviews of this great set that is filled with peerless performances...great songs that are so incredible that it actually makes it hard to get all the way through this stunning collection because of the excessive use of the repeat button...were these people really listening to the same soul-stirring collection of riveting performances that I was? If so then I'm afraid that something is really missing and maybe a sound system update is in order...but whatever is missing just leave this fine collection to savor and enjoy for those of us who want to experience one of the greatest ever male performers captured in absolute peak form giving wondrous soul-stirring performances making this a collection worthy of numerous "Grammy Awards" that is if they are still tuned in to real talent...this set is a stunning masterwork!
"What's Going On" has a wonderous ethereal arrangement which is flowing and edgy with a sterling vocal that is extremely moving and this sounds like a huge "hit" all over again...ditto to a very soulful and rocking "Chain Of Fools" that is totally wild and a rousing funky jam. A soul-deep haunting vocal make "Maybe I'm Amazed" another Cocker masterful reading of a Beatles song which he makes completely his own much in the same way "With A Little Help From My Friends" became a riveting tour-de-force concert highlight at The Staples Center. "I Keep Forgetting" has never sounded quite as bluesy and great as here and "I Put A Spell On You" is a mind-blowing performance that starts with a stunning voice only opening that flows into Joe giving the performance of his lifetime with a great bluesy piano against majestic guitar work by none other than Eric Clapton and this version of this old classic is the topper of them all with both Masters in sublime peak form...this is truly a riveting experience! Throughout this wonderful "Heart & Soul" magnificent arrangements match the great vocals...another example is the stirring "Every Kind Of People" which goes straight to the heart of the song and brings it to life in a deeply moving way. Deeply moving with a stirring edgy arrangement is the beautifully haunting "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" which is a bluesy classic with a sublime Chris Botti jazzy trumpet solo that works magic with Mr. Cocker's amazing vocal which is glorious in this brilliant multi-layered masterpiece that would get my vote for single release as it is totally awesome!!! Never has James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" sounded quite as soulfully magnificent as it does here and John Lennon is done proud with this funky and rocking "Jealous Guy" that shows that it would be great if Joe Cocker did an all Lennon-McCartney collection as it would easily become an instant classic...PLEASE!!!!!!
Listening to the closing "Everybody Hurts" it is clear that nobody around today can get inside a song with so much feeling and passion with a great sounding rough soulful voice that is a once in a lifetime treasure that is now at its absolute peak and this is truly "Heart & Soul" at its deepest and finest!!! Thank you Joe Cocker, you really did it all this time...and we are grateful!!!! As if this studio masterpiece were not enough, a live concert Bonus Track of a performance of "One" is the stunning closer...shows that nobody alive can do it quite like this guy...ENCORE with "More Heart & Soul!!!
HEART & SOUL TOUR UPDATE; Joe Cocker rocked LA at a sold out & soul-ed out performance at The Wiltern Theatre and was in totally awesome form singing old and new classics in really great voice that matched the quality of his vocals on this great new CD. This is the tour to catch Joe on as he has never been better and his band is hot and really cooks making this event the party of the year!!!!!

I've been listening to Joe Cocker since the 70s, and he could sing the telephone directory and I'd probably still find something to enjoy about it. Having said that, any longtime fan of Joe will know that the quality of his recordings has varied considerably, and some of his albums just haven't been all that memorable.

I think "Heart and Soul" deserves to stand proudly among Joe's best albums, and I consider it to be his best since "Have A Little Faith." He has selected a superlative set of songs to record, and I think he pulls them off well. Some of the songs suffer a bit from production choices, and I find myself preferring the songs that have more real instruments and less programming.

Nevertheless, even where I'm not thrilled with the production approach, Joe's singing is as impassioned and soulful as ever. Very few singers could convincingly take on a song like Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," but Joe pulls it off and once again manages to make the song his own. Similarly, how many others could do "Chain of Fools" and not make you wish you were hearing Aretha Franklin's version instead? Again, Joe pulls it off beautifully.

At the other end of the spectrum, Joe can also take relatively lightweight fare such as James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" or Robert Palmer's "Every Kind of People" and have them seem right at home among the weightier material.

I have a feeling that years from now, this is going to be one of the Joe Cocker CDs that I still pull out and listen to regularly. If you are a fan and, like me, are intrigued by the song selection, give this album a try.

If you have an ear for the world-weary, this one's for you. Joe has selected a variety of old standards which reflect the perspective of someone who has lived a life filled with love, loss and laughter. The spareness of the vocals, combined with the lushness of the musical arrangements, evoke memories for those of us who have some of life's experiences under our belts.
If you don't feel on the verge of tears when listening to his heart-wrenching version of U2's "One", you still have some living to do. Well worth the investment in both time and money.

I have a LOT of Joe Cocker music and this is one of the CD's I keep coming back to and playing over and over. I totally disagree that "it misses the mark" as one reviewer said. I like every song on the CD and I may have to buy a second as a backup. I love his singing. I also have some of his DVD's which I enjoy even more. He's hung in there a long time and every time I buy another of his CD's I marvel at how much I like his voice. I prefer his more recent CD's than when he was younger.