There’s a gentleness to the album that rotates around two axes, the first is the Black Acid Soul deep soul connection brought to the table by producer the Lady Blackbird collaborator guitarist Chris Seefried (Lady B even does backing vocals on standout original the Seefried/Harrop co-write ‘Smoke Inside a Jar’). Her keyboardist Deron Johnson – who was on Miles Davis’ final album Doo-Bop also pops up among the album personnel.
The other axis is the contribution of Jo regulars like pianist Paul Edis and Jamie McCredie that is a manifestion of what’s more like the everyday gigging sound as Harrop frequently plays with both – an earlier album with Edis When Winter Turns to Spring and on which guitarist McCredie also figures is one of her best and won a Parliamentary Jazz Award three years ago.
The covers are the fascinating aspect of this latest album. For instance the version of Larry Banks’ ‘I’m Not The One’ is less dramatic and intense. Banks’ first wife Toni aka Bessie Banks Larry produced and co-wrote for on the to die for 1964 song ‘Go Now’ later covered by the Moody Blues in their smash hit version. I love that song. I wish Jo had included it on this album. Sigh.
But more to her approach and even better perhaps Jo also tackles Labi Siffre Crying Laughing Loving Lying number ‘My Song’ and retains the positivity that Labi Siffre endowed it with.
She can do ache and heart break – make no mistake. But the dressing isn’t doomy more wistfully bittersweet. Title track ‘Love Now, Pay Later’ is an obscure northern soul collectable Velma Perkins song that Dunleith, Mississippi born Chicago raised Garland Green sang in the late 1960s on his album Jealous Kind of Fella. Green died in February this year aged 83.
Again the Jo method is to slow things down, let the melody linger and finesse the lines. The better point of comparison is not Green’s take more the Clydie King version which also connects a bit with a Dusty Springfield sensibility.
One of those artists who are great live and on record, mercifully I have managed to hear Jo a few times down the years. First of all at the Spice of Life in Soho accompanied by Alex Webb and again copacetically with Webb at the Hampstead Jazz Club singing songs from The Tony Bennett and Bill Evans Album later broadcast on Jazz FM and also at a bigger scale gig in Cadogan Hall as part of a programme that included an appearance by queen of lovers rock Carroll Thompson.
More recently she was on fine form last year when the London based animal loving fortysomething who hails from Chester-Le-Street in the north east of England made her Northern Ireland debut playing a duo gig with Paul Edis also from Chester-Le-Street in a beautifully bucolic sanctuary. Deep in the heart of Down down there, Jesus, Mary and Joseph – the wee donkey even gets a look-in.
As a jazz singer who is pretty soulful as a natural correlation that’s an easy connection to make as a concept going for a deep soul theme. But I am not sure if it completely works or maybe and this is why I hesitate it is just I have pangs for jazz material. However that is being picky and taking the eye off the sparrow! [Friend: this ain’t a gospel record either – for that… step this way] Probably doing soul will be a revelation to punters who haven’t a clue about her jazz pedigree but may well want to discover it digging this. Certainly the choice of covers is stimulating and I gravitated to these most.
It all proves a marked shift, although I doubt she is going to throw out the baby with the bath water, from the jazz centred approach of Harrop’s earlier records and the way Larry Klein produced her on what is I think still her greatest album The Path of A Tear which like this album was recorded in Los Angeles. Themes of desire, romantic recklessness and its consequences percolate thoughout the album flavoured by Hammond B3, Wurlitzer, piano, bass, drums and backing vocals.
- Jo plays Pizza Express Live, Dean Street, Soho in London tomorrow evening and on Thursday
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