Track Listing
1. She Suits Me to a Tee
2. Misfit
3. You Really Got a Hold on Me
4. I Think It's Going to Rain Today
5. Message to My Son
6. Just to Be Home With You
7. Play It Sam
8. Kiss of Love
9. I Told the Truth
10. Please Can I Talk
11. Boy
12. When I Get Home
13. Enjoy Yourself
14. Sweet If You Like
15. Cry Myself to Sleep
16. Shuttin' the Doors
17. Washing of the Water
18. Jack O the Green
19. Ooh la La
20. Mabel
21. I'll Be Seeing You
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Buddy Guy, Eliza Carthy, Eric Clapton, Kirsty MacColl, Michael McDonald, Nick Cave, Paul Rodgers, Peter Gabriel, Ringo Starr, Shane MacGowan, Smokey Robinson, Solomon Burke, Steve Earle | | Distributor: | Phantom Import Distributi | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
FRIENDS 3 is a collection of duets with Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra featuring the tunes "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" and "I Think It's Going To Rain Today" and includes guests Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Scott.
It's the third go-round for Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, and by now their formula is familiar -- Holland and his large band, anchored by his former Squeeze bandmate Gilson Lavis, invite a bunch of musicians to sing or play in front of them, and they run through a bunch of cheerful blues and old-time rock & roll-based songs. Some of these are covers and some of these are new tunes, but they all feel like revivals, since Holland and guests play them that way. These are classy, well-performed amalgams of big-band R&B and soul, spiced with hints of ska, mainstream pop, and rockabilly, which offer welcome changes of pace. As expected with any album that features over 20 guest spots, it's a bit of a hit-and-miss affair, but since the best moments -- such as Steve Earle's loose-limbed "Play It Sam" -- don't soar all that high and the lowest moments -- apart from "Just to Be Home With You," where Shane MacGowan is a drunken fish out of water -- don't tumble that low, it all evens out into a pleasant listening experience. That said, it's not a particularly distinctive one, either, since none of the guests are at their best and the band is primarily in a support slot, never really having a chance to shine. Nevertheless, anybody who enjoyed the first two Friends efforts will likely enjoy it -- and they'll also find the 21-track, 80-minute running time to be generous, while others might find it to be way too much of an OK thing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
It's the third go-round for Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, and by now their formula is familiar -- Holland and his large band, anchored by his former Squeeze bandmate Gilson Lavis, invite a bunch of musicians to sing or play in front of them, and they run through a bunch of cheerful blues and old-time rock & roll-based songs. Some of these are covers and some of these are new tunes, but they all feel like revivals, since Holland and guests play them that way. These are classy, well-performed amalgams of big-band R&B and soul, spiced with hints of ska, mainstream pop, and rockabilly, which offer welcome changes of pace. As expected with any album that features over 20 guest spots, it's a bit of a hit-and-miss affair, but since the best moments -- such as Steve Earle's loose-limbed "Play It Sam" -- don't soar all that high and the lowest moments -- apart from "Just to Be Home With You," where Shane MacGowan is a drunken fish out of water -- don't tumble that low, it all evens out into a pleasant listening experience. That said, it's not a particularly distinctive one, either, since none of the guests are at their best and the band is primarily in a support slot, never really having a chance to shine. Nevertheless, anybody who enjoyed the first two Friends efforts will likely enjoy it -- and they'll also find the 21-track, 80-minute running time to be generous, while others might find it to be way too much of an OK thing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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