Track Listing

1. Together We Are Strong feat. Sam Moore And Sam Brown
2. In The Dark feat. Norah Jones
3. Snowflake Boogie feat. Edwin Starr
4. The Only Face feat. Bryan Ferry
5. What Goes Around feat. Dionne Warwick
6. Don’t You Kiss My Cheek feat. Tom Jones
7. Out Of This World feat. Chrissie Hynde
8. Rock Me feat. The Blind Boys Of Alabama
9. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face feat. Stereophonics
10. Fly Me To The Moon feat. Huey (Fun Lovin’ Criminals)
11. The Can Is Open feat. Badly Drawn Boy
12. Yours Sincerely, Confused N10 feat. Ray Davies
13. Tuxedo Junction feat. Jools Holland And His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra
14. Let The Boogie Woogie Roll feat. Robert Plant
15. Drown In My Own Tears (Instrumental) feat. Jeff Beck
16. Count Me In feat. Ruby Turner
17. You Got To Serve Somebody feat. Marianne Faithfull
18. Anglegrinder Blues feat. Jools Holland/Chris Barber/Guy Barker
19. Change Is Gonna Come feat. Beverly Knight
20. Teardrops In My Eyes feat. George Benson
21. Dreams feat. Jimmy Cliff
22. If You Wear That Velvet Dress feat. Bono

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7778 in Music
• Released on: 2002-11-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
In More Friends Jools Holland (and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra) return with a growing motley crew of musicians that have appeared on his eclectic music show Later With Jools Holland. Again, the focus is on what Holland calls "big band blues"--there's a rock & roll big-band extravaganza with Tom Jones, a boogie woogie piano jam for Robert Plant and a classic cover from Dionne Warwick to mention but a few of the performances from the great and good that appear here. But Jools' show has always been about championing new and cult artists too, and female jazz vocalist of the moment Norah Jones just had to put in an appearance with her cover of the Nina Simone classic "In The Dark", along with indie regular Badly Drawn Boy. In fact his offering, "The Can Is Open" in particular shines given the Jools treatment with all the big easy listening Bacharach trumpets and playful piano melodies giving it the simple but epic sound so characteristic of his recent album. Likewise the ever charismatic Huey from the Fun Lovin' Criminals is perfect for a good old croon with the band on the old Sinatra standard "Fly Me To The Moon". Sounding like a late night music fan's fantasy jam session, (just listen to Huey joking "hey is there anything left in that bottle?"), More Friends is essential for fans of that big band sound--young or old. --Caroline Butler

CD Description
Former Squeeze member and R&B pianist extraordinaire returns with his big band for another love-in with a huge, starry collection of guest vocalists. Those gracing the mic this time include Bryan Ferry, Robert Plant, Norah Jones, Dionne Warwick, Marianne Faithfull, Bono and Badly Drawn Boy on a selection of jazz and R&B classics and interpretations of some of his guests' original songs.

Customer Reviews

Absolute Class - For Any Music Fans!
Having now got Holland's entire back catalogue, you can imagine my anticpation waiting for the brown cardboard box from Amazon waiting to drop through my letterbox. No disappointment whatsoever.

This CD is certainly better than Small World Big Band 1 and is more upbeat, containing tracks such as Tuxedo Junction from the Bells Whisky advert, to Huey from the Fun Lovin' Criminals covering Fly Me To The Moon. The fact that Revolution (with Stereophonics, who again feature excellently on this CD) on Small World Big Band 1 has been voted in some circles says it all.

For a guy that grew up in the 90s, I would also say there are more contemporaries and well-knowns than on the last CD: Huey, Tom Jones, Bono, Bryan Ferry, Stereophonics to name but a few. This also leads me to think that Tom Jones could do a full album with Jools.

The music is also more appealing to the 'mainstream' compared with other CDs such as Sunset Over London and A-Z of Piano where you really have to like instrumentals and R&B style tunes.

Hope there is a volume 3. Many thanks Jools, can't wait 'til your concert in December...

It's all in the blend
I'm a bit of a Jools virgin - my first album was Small World, Big Band, vol 1 closely followed by Greatest Hits. They've never been out the CD player in the car over the last year. It was with trepidation (and excitement) that I ordered "More Friends" -after all - could it be as addictive?

There's the good old Jools blues piano in Tuxedo Junction and Anglegrinder Blues, but there are also some surprises, especially Bono and his Velvet Dress.I've not had the album long, but everytime I listen to it, you come across more gems such as Snowflake Boogie and Your's truly Confused N10. There's a real blend of artistes and - well it works for me!

The Orchestra "and Friends" ensemble is fantastic but Jools has to be careful that he doesn't place overreliance on them and overdo the formula - after all he is a supreme musician and entertainer in his own right and he mustn't lose his own identity. There are one or two tracks where you forget momentarily that you are listening to a Jools album, but in the next moment he's right back there giving it his all!!

It is a testament to Jools reputation in the music world that so many artistes want to work with him and you get the feeling that everyone is enjoying the ultimate jam session.

I think it'll spend the next year in the car.....!!

Classic - Music at it's best
Following on from the success of the first volume, this is even better. Jools has collected together another selection of "Friends" and backed them with his superb Orchestra. This time out he is joined by Tom Jones, Ray Davies, Robert Plant, Jeff Beck and Bono, to name but a few.
Robert Plant returns to his Honeydrippers persona with 'Let the Boogie Woogie Roll' true 50's rock'n'roll sound. Jools and his orchestra include their own version of 'Tuxedo Junction' a new take on this Big Band standard instrumental. Jeff Beck's track is also an instrumental showing again what a great guitarist he is.
If you like good music, played well; then this is for you.