Track Listing

1. You Haven't Done Nothin'
2. One Word (Peace)
3. Love Is For Me
4. Don't Give Up On Me
5. Long As I Can See The Light
6. Beware Of Darkness
7. Just Pass It On
8. Rivers Invitation
9. Ring Them Bells
10. Hymn 4 My Soul

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19428 in Music
• Released on: 2007-05-14
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
`Hymn For My Soul' unites Joe Cocker, possessor of one of the world's most instantly recognisable and iconic voices (Lennon & McCartney's With A Little Help From My Friends, anyone?), with Ethan Johns, who has proved both his worth and his Midas touch via albums he's produced for, among others, Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Ryan Adams, Razorlight, Kings of Leon, and Ray LaMontagne. The union has resulted in one of the most accomplished pieces of work in the Sheffield-born singer's long and illustrious career, and one played by arguably the most stellar band to be assembled in a recording studio anywhere in the world in recent times.

Among them are drummers Jim Keltner (uniformly viewed as the best session drummer in the world, a man who played with John Lennon and Bob Dylan), and James Gadson (as well as producing classic albums for the soul star Bill Withers, he drummed on hit recordings by artists ranging from Gladys Knight to Justin Timberlake). Also present are Tom Petty's pianist Benmont Tench, former Jethro Tull keyboard player Dave Palmer, bassist Bob Babbitt (member of Motown Records' studio band The Funk Brothers in the `60s and `70s, and hence a player on more seminal recordings than can be listed here), and Hammond organist Mike Finnigan (who played with Jimi Hendrix on Electric Ladyland). Completing the all-star line-up on backing vocals are Merry Clayton (once one of Ray Charles's Raelettes, she sang on the Stones' Gimme Shelter), Tata Vega, Julia Walters, her brother Oren Walters, and Jim Gilstrap.

In terms of its provenance, the uniformly blues / gospel-ish material on `Hymn For My Soul' spans the decades. In addition to the classic Bob Dylan track Ring Them Bells there are vintage songs by Stevie Wonder (You Haven't Done Nothin'), George Harrison (Beware Of Darkness), and Credence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty (Long As I Can See The Light).

There are tracks associated with veteran soul legends too, notably Art Neville and The Meters (Love Is For Me), Solomon Burke (Don't Give Up On Me), and Percy Mayfield (Rivers Invitation). But there are also two selections from the recent past, namely those by New Orleans group The Subdudes (One Word (Peace)), and Andy Fairweather-Low (the titular Hymn 4 My Soul). Recorded at L.A.'s Sunset Sound Studios and sung, played, and produced to near-perfection, they represent the best work that Cocker has done in years.

From the Artist
"I'm very grateful to Ethan for taking me to a new space. This is the most musical record I've made in a very long time," says Cocker. And the feeling is obviously mutual as Johns agrees, "I can hardly begin to tell you how good I think Hymn For My Soul is. Let's just say it's the most emotional and even spiritual project I've worked on in a long while."

Customer Reviews

PERFECTION
I own absolutely everything Joe has ever recorded and without hesitation can tell you this is his best in many a year - too much of the recent stuff has been over produced American AOR genre. Joe has got together with a producer (Ethan Johns) that really suits him - you have to go back to Organic when Don Was achieved something similar - simple but beautiful back up from amazing musicians. I understand Johns recorded Joe singing live with the band, and it was all captured analogue on tape - the old fashioned way. Whatever - it works - and what a selection of songs. I played the CD 10 times over straight off, and forced myself to play something else - Otis's "Blue" as it happens.

Buy this, treat your ears, treat your soul, experience some of the best music recorded ever. Joe stick with Ethan.

Great Pure Soul
Joe has matured with age like a fine wine to produce a corker of an album that resonates with pure soul. Some of the songs would be plain and boring if sung by any other singer but this man makes each a classic.

Maybe team up with Spanky Wilson in the future....?
"Hymn For My Soul" was not the Joe Cocker I expected to hear when listening. With time, Joe appears to have mellowed in his style and has developed more of a gospel / soul style with his own and backing vocals. Not the man who sang with Tina Turner, but more of a mellow James Brown style.

The album is excellent to listen to, and I enjoyed it but it would not be an album I would put on to listen to, it would be an album to have on in the background and simply hear. One for when you have friends around and are drinking, or a good after-hours album.