In addition to his work as a TV presenter at the BBC, pianist Jools Holland has also been the bandleader of his own Rhythm & Blues Orchestra for almost twenty years. The CDs of his big band follow a fixed pattern: assisted by well-known guest vocalists, Holland performs his favorite songs, sometimes larded with their own composition. Holland proves to be a true music lover by opting for the
… lesser known songs and not recording just another tired evergreen. On Sirens Of Song (the album title already reveals it a bit) Holland is assisted by singers only. Musically it ranges from soul (Joss Stone), rockabilly (Imelda May) to a skanking Amy Winehouse in Monkey Man by Toots & The Maytals. Also nice is the lascivious sounding Kylie Minogue in a jazzy version of Should I Stay Or I Should I Go by The Clash. (PdK)more