Album Results
Album Reviews
John Pizzarelli takes his nifty little act over to the folks at Telarc, and in fact, little has changed at all; if anything, the act has gotten better. The good news is that Pizzarelli shows continued improvement as a vocalist; the nasal, callow, youthful sound slowly gives way to a less naive, more rhythmically hip style in the manner of early Nat Cole. Pizzarelli was a fine, versatile guitarist from the start, and he continues to astonish at lightning tempos here. His airtight longtime trio (brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass, Ray Kennedy on piano) keeps right up, switching tempos on a dime. As you would expect, the menu consists of mostly Tin Pan Alley/swing standards from way back ("When I Take My Sugar to Tea," "When Lights Are Low," "Don't Be That Way," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," etc.); the idiom is King Cole Trio all the way, with some Oscar Peterson when Kennedy gets rolling. The only thing missing is Pizzarelli's good-natured kidding around with his band and his audience, which has become one of the main attractions of his live act. This artist is a good match for Telarc's growth as a jazz label -- young faces, old repertoire -- and of course, the Pizzarelli brothers and Kennedy are now the beneficiaries of Telarc's vaunted, depth-charged engineering. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide
Track Listing
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Another Way To Die Alicia Keys & Jack White |
| When Jack White and Alicia Keys were asked to write the theme to the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace, it wasnt exactly the straightforward task you might imagine. Not only did they have to take the place of a much anticipated effort from Amy Winehouse, which predictably never materialised, they were also faced with the challenge of writing a theme for one of the most awkwardly phrased Bond films of all time. Quantum of Solace hardly rolls off the tongue after all! The result is a workmanlike effort that draws on many trademark elements of both the Bond franchise and the musicians musical repertoire. With snarling guitar riffs from Jack, overblown vocals and twinkling piano from Alicia and a few orchestral style stabs that hark back to the original John Barry theme, Another Way to Die is equal but no better than the sum of its parts. Despite popjustice.com branding the track the worst Bond theme of all time this song will fulfil its design brief when the credits to the film are rolling as it has enough OTT touches to make the expensive graphics look cool. | |
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