Afterglow | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1995 | |||
Studio | Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California; Bill Schnee Studios, North Hollywood, California | |||
Label | Blue Thumb [1] | |||
Producer | Tommy LiPuma | |||
Dr. John chronology | ||||
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Afterglow is an album by the American musician Dr. John, released in 1995. [2] [3] The majority of the tracks are covers of jazz and blues songs from the 1940s and 1950s; many of the songs were introduced to Dr. John by his parents. [4] [5]
The album peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Traditional Jazz Albums chart. [6] Dr. John supported the album by playing shows with the Afterglow Big Band. [7]
The album was produced by Tommy LiPuma, with arrangements by John Clayton and Alan Broadbent. [8] [9] It was engineered by Al Schmitt, who was nominated for a Grammy Award. [10] Dr. John used a 20-piece string section to back his 19-member band; Ray Brown led the rhythm section. [11] [12]
"New York City Blues" and "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere" were cowritten by Dr. John and Doc Pomus. [8] "I Know What I've Got" is a cover of the Louis Jordan song; "Blue Skies" was written by Irving Berlin. [13] [14]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [16] |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [17] |
Orlando Sentinel | [18] |
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [19] |
The Tampa Tribune | [12] |
Windsor Star | B [20] |
The Guardian called the album an "elegant homage to the torch songs of yesteryear." [21] The Windsor Star deemed it "too polite to count as a Dr. John album, and too New Orleans-bluesy to be a legitimate big-band album." [20] The Globe and Mail considered it "a sweet exercise in pop nostalgia." [22]
The Orlando Sentinel noted that the album "harks back to the lush, big-band sound that served the singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist so well on 1989's In a Sentimental Mood." [18] The New York Times stated that Dr. John "rambles nostalgically down pop-blues trails originally blazed by Ray Charles ... The singing is sultry and swinging." [23] The Independent opined that the album is "spoilt by a showbiz orchestra that varnishes over his shaggy greatness." [24]
AllMusic praised Dr. John's "gravel-and-honey voice." [15] (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide dismissed the album as "empty pop." [19]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Know What I've Got" | Louis Jordan, Sid Robin | 5:01 |
2. | "Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You" | Andy Razaf, Don Redman | 4:18 |
3. | "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" | Duke Ellington, Mack David | 3:33 |
4. | "Blue Skies" | Irving Berlin | 4:42 |
5. | "So Long" | Irving Melsher, Remus Harris, Russ Morgan | 5:04 |
6. | "New York City Blues" | Doc Pomus, Mac Rebennack | 4:00 |
7. | "Tell Me You'll Wait for Me" | Charles Brown, Oscar Moore | 4:39 |
8. | "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere" | Doc Pomus, Mac Rebennack | 5:21 |
9. | "I Still Think About You" | Mac Rebennack | 4:18 |
10. | "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" | Al Neiburg, Doc Daugherty, Ellis Reynolds | 4:27 |
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