Let Them Talk

Hugh Laurie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 6, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros.
• ASIN: B0055V6EZE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (146 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #10 in Music > Rock > Blues Rock
  • #14 in Music > Blues

Track Listings

1. Saint James Infirmary

2. You Don t Know My Mind

3. Six Cold Feet

4. Buddy Bolden s Blues

5. Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho

6. After You ve Gone

7. Swanee River

8. The Whale Has Swallowed Me

9. John Henry

10. Police Dog Blues

11. Tipitina

12. Winin Boy Blues

13. They re Red Hot

14. Baby, Please Make A Change

15. Let Them Talk

Editorial Reviews

Hugh Laurie will release his debut album 'Let Them Talk' on Warner Bros. Records. A glorious celebration of New Orleans blues, 'Let Them Talk' unites Laurie's musical talent with a very personal selection of standards and lost blues classics performed with his band of renowned musicians and some very special guest stars. Produced by Joe Henry and recorded at sessions in Los Angeles and New Orleans, 'Let Them Talk' sees Laurie on vocals and piano heading a team of musicians whose previous collective credits include work with artists as varied as Greg Allman, Solomon Burke, Robert Plant, kd lang, T-Bone Burnett, Alison Krause and John Legend. Together, they interpret and revive songs originally recorded by NOLA blues legends such as Lead Belly, Robert Johnson, Ray Charles and Memphis Slim. 'Let Them Talk' also features collaborations with the Soul Queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas and Sir Tom Jones on the little known 'Baby, please Make A Change'. Thomas also leads the vocals on 'John Henry', while Laurie's lifelong hero Dr. John provides a momentous collaboration on 'After You've Gone'. Another legend, the producer, musician and songwriter Allen Toussaint, contributes horn arrangements throughout.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laurie asks and answers the question, "Why listen to an actor's music?", September 9, 2011

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Let Them Talk (Audio CD)

I was able to purchase this in a store before it was made available on Amazon. I have to admit that my expectations weren't high although I am a huge fan of Hugh Laurie. So I was surprised by the strong points of this one...and there ARE indeed some very solid aspects to this CD.

But first...the largest objection... Laurie's voice. Admittedly, it won't be to everyone's taste but I found it to have an emotional depth that surprised me. As Laurie himself notes in the liner notes, "why listen to an actor's music?" He doesn't pretend to be anything other than "a white, middle-class Englishman" one who is "openly trespassing on the music and myth of the American south." So there you have it. He clearly loves the music and is trying to share his pleasure with listeners. I think he succeeds.

But what about the music? As soon as I heard the intro to "St James Infirmary" I was hooked. The intro is deep and resonant, nicely arranged and conducted by Allen Toussaint. Whether you like Laurie's voice or not, the horn arrangements by Allen Toussaint on this CD (St James Infirmary, Tipitina and Buddy Bolden's Blues) are breath-taking.

Then there are special guests such as Irma Thomas, Dr. John, Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, and Sir Tom Jones. If for no other reason, their vocals, Toussaint's involvement, and Cayolle's sax playing make this one worth buying.

But I think Laurie himself is also worth purchasing the CD. He deserves credit for making a bold move and throwing himself wholeheartedly into this compilation. While other reviewers have complained about his voice, I don't find it distracting. There is so much more to the CD than just "an actor's music." Give it a try and see for yourself.

79 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THREE REASON TO BUY THIS MUSIC, September 7, 2011

By 

Andrew H. Lee "Constant Listener" (Snohomish, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Let Them Talk (Audio CD)

Dear Music Appreciator,

Here are three reasons to buy this music:

1. You are the kind of music fan who has the patience to listen to a three minute instrumental before the vocals kick in (opening track "St. James Infirmary"). Perhaps you even enjoy the instrumental as much as the vocals, or maybe the delayed gratification on those vocals make them mean a little more when they do finally show up.

2. You have a thing for freaks, geeks, carnivals, New Orleans, nightclubs, jazz, blues, cool clarinets, sweltering saxophones, tinkling pianos heard over tinkling glasses and the kind of music that sounds best floating over a sea of little round tables with white tablecloths and smoke ring halos.

3. You enjoy traditional songs sung with bluesy, whiskey-soaked vocals from world-weary characters who've been around the block a time or two. And if the world weary-character that is singing also happens to play a world-weary doctor on a hit network television show that you`ve been known to enjoy, then so much the better.

Sincerely,

Constant Listener

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soul Respite, September 6, 2011

By 

Mystery Aficianado - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Let Them Talk (Audio CD)

Soulful, smokey sweet Hugh Laurie has produced a lasting legacy with this southern blues album. Worth waiting for its release, I'm now eagerly anticipating a second volume. Every song is beautifully executed, lyrics and music, by professionals. Laurie should plunge headlong into this new adventure of life.