Paul Carrack, For One Night Only – Live in London, Carrack UK ***1/2

A Royal Albert Hall live recording from October 2024 featuring Ace and Mike and the Mechanics legend Paul Carrack possessor of one of the greatest male soul/pop/blues/rock voices still around here with the SWR Big Band who set the jazz tone immediately on the strolling Sammy Nestico piece ‘Dimensions in Blue’. The SWR have a seriously close rapport with the music of Nestico. See below.

SWR Big Band, More Than Just Friends, SWR Music ***1/2

Carrack comes on to play the
Torsten Maaß arranged BB King number ‘Cryin’ Won’t Help You.’ The trombone solo after the initial vocal is memorable.

But I wasn’t as keen on the creamy ‘I’ll Always Be In Love With You,’ a rare lesser track on this bumper live affair. The take on Solomon Burke’s ‘Got You Get Off My Mind’ is much more up my Straße.

But even better is the version of the Larry Addison song ‘The Only Thing Missing Is You’ that Bobby “Blue” Bland sang late in life. There’s another Bobby Blue connection later with Carrack singing Don Robey and Joseph Scott’s ‘Ain’t Nothing You Can Do.’

I wasn’t there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn’t get to tell him
All the things I had to say

I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I’m sure I heard his echo
In my baby’s new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
From BA Robertson and Mike Rutherford’s ‘The Living Years’

How can you ever tire of this classic from 1988 included among the hits portion of this largely enjoyable album that while very middle of the road is full of consummate musicianship.

The jazzier side is first and of most interest to readers of Marlbank. Later it’s Carrack hits and for the final tracks, a huge choir called Funky Voices join the ensemble for the performances of the English man’s much loved classics ‘The Living Years’ and ‘How Long.’ It’s touching and moving.

‘How Long’ was a massive hit in 1974 for Ace that Sheffield man Carrack, now 74, whose chops are up there with Sheffield’s greatest voice of all Joe Cocker, was in with Phil Harris, Alan “Bam” King, Terry “Tex” Comer and Fran Byrne. Carrack also wrote the song. The new deliriously clap-a-long version has an incredibly soulful sax part screaming and strafing appealingly like a hyperactive seagull out to snatch some poor sod’s chips over the top of the tune early on.

Paul Carrack, For One Night Only – Live in London, Carrack UK ***1/2

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Paul Carrack, For One Night Only – Live in London, Carrack UK ***1/2

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Steve White trio, Soul Drums: The Jazz Sessions Vol. 1, Acid Jazz ****

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