Ace, Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics frontman makes it sweet-sixteen with easy-going soul-smothered album
6/10
With a considerably envious pedigree such as Carrack's, you'd be forgiven for assuming the man has had more hit-singles and albums then he has. In truth, the likeable vocalist and guitarist has previously achieved greater things when his most familiar songs have been sung when being a band's frontman - Ace's splendid "How Long", Mike and the Mechanics lucrative "The Living Years" and "Over My Shoulder" and Squeeze's should've-been-a-hit "Tempted" (sung by Carrack, written by Difford and Tilbrook).
As a soloist per se, Paul Carrack hasn't quite cracked it commercially, despite being quite a catch when it comes to performing live and as a songwriter and collaborator with the soul, rock and blues elite - The Eagles, Roxy Music and BB King are handy names to have on your musical CV. So, is it the never-ending stigma attached to 'blue-eyed soul', the same one that has earned the likes of Curtis Stigers, Huey Lewis and Michael McDonald a few barbs of criticism from one or two music-critics? Or is Carrack and his peers fashionably out of fashion?
Whatever the reasons, there is no denying that Paul Carrack has a terrific voice, possessed of a smooth resonance all too rare in pop-music these days. Sure, his cache of fans probably aren't likely to be downloading illegal dubstep podcasts or turning up at a rooftop party in Hoxton dressed as a chicken, but so what? Whilst his choice of song is certainly safe and conservative, the man nowadays stands head and shoulders above the likes of Phil Collins and Michael Bolton, mainly for keeping in the public eye, albeit just shy of the mainstream spotlight.
"Good Feeling" is business as usual in that it's bold brassy Stax-powered soul cookin' one minute then broody moody blues the next. When he isn't doing either, Carrack shines more brightly. His cover of Springsteen's lovely "If I Should Fall Behind" is almost as perfect as the late Grant McLennan's post Go-Betweens version, while Nick Lowe's "From Now On" burns softly with a similar glow to when it appeared on his '80s album, "Suburban Voodoo". Recent singles "Good Feelin' About It" (Radio 2 in a Jackie Wilson stylee) and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" are passably pleasant (and vice-versa), while the album's closer "A Child is Born" best illustrates what Carrack can do with his tonsils - shut your eyes and it could be Lionel Richie.
But for these classy selections, "Good Feeling" may well have been a rather ordinary album. For me, the album only truly starts to impress during the second-half, but diehards may disagree with a certain amount of justified protest. Overall though, Paul Carrack has created another robust album and an occasionally transcending delight.
Release date: 24th September 2012
For more information about Paul Carrack tours and shows, head to Allgigs here
6/10
As a soloist per se, Paul Carrack hasn't quite cracked it commercially, despite being quite a catch when it comes to performing live and as a songwriter and collaborator with the soul, rock and blues elite - The Eagles, Roxy Music and BB King are handy names to have on your musical CV. So, is it the never-ending stigma attached to 'blue-eyed soul', the same one that has earned the likes of Curtis Stigers, Huey Lewis and Michael McDonald a few barbs of criticism from one or two music-critics? Or is Carrack and his peers fashionably out of fashion?
Whatever the reasons, there is no denying that Paul Carrack has a terrific voice, possessed of a smooth resonance all too rare in pop-music these days. Sure, his cache of fans probably aren't likely to be downloading illegal dubstep podcasts or turning up at a rooftop party in Hoxton dressed as a chicken, but so what? Whilst his choice of song is certainly safe and conservative, the man nowadays stands head and shoulders above the likes of Phil Collins and Michael Bolton, mainly for keeping in the public eye, albeit just shy of the mainstream spotlight.
"Good Feeling" is business as usual in that it's bold brassy Stax-powered soul cookin' one minute then broody moody blues the next. When he isn't doing either, Carrack shines more brightly. His cover of Springsteen's lovely "If I Should Fall Behind" is almost as perfect as the late Grant McLennan's post Go-Betweens version, while Nick Lowe's "From Now On" burns softly with a similar glow to when it appeared on his '80s album, "Suburban Voodoo". Recent singles "Good Feelin' About It" (Radio 2 in a Jackie Wilson stylee) and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" are passably pleasant (and vice-versa), while the album's closer "A Child is Born" best illustrates what Carrack can do with his tonsils - shut your eyes and it could be Lionel Richie.
But for these classy selections, "Good Feeling" may well have been a rather ordinary album. For me, the album only truly starts to impress during the second-half, but diehards may disagree with a certain amount of justified protest. Overall though, Paul Carrack has created another robust album and an occasionally transcending delight.
Release date: 24th September 2012
For more information about Paul Carrack tours and shows, head to Allgigs here