As rock’s perennial comeback kid, Joe Cocker managed to turn a whiskey-soaked, gravel-grounded voice into a pulsating instrument of its own. His gift for taking others’ compositions and giving them his own spin was legendary. From Lennon and McCartney’s “With A Little Help From My Friends” and “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” to Leon Russell’s “Delta Lady” and Dave Mason’s “Feelin’ Alright,” Cocker always injected his own brand of soul and fire in the music. The same goes for his latter-day soft rock hits – from the 1982 Jennifer Warnes song, “Up Where We Belong,” from the soundtrack to An Officer and a Gentlemen, to Ray Charles’ “Unchain My Heart” and Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On.”
On 1999’s No Ordinary World, Cocker’s 17th studio release, the singer skillfully growls and grunts his way through a modest selection of 14 tracks and still comes out smelling like a rose. Because Cocker sustained his career performing a lot of light and airy material, No Ordinary World doesn’t really go too far out on a limb. Still, with songs by such world-class heavy-hitters like Steve Winwood, Michael McDonald and Bryan Adams, there’s a touch of substance behind the middle of the road, smooth pop-infested arrangements.
Leonard Cohen’s “First We Take Manhattan” kicks things off rather nicely, with some solid piano work by Chris Elliot thrusted into high gear by Cocker’s seamless vocals. Other highlights include a decent rendition of Winwood’s “While You See A Chance” and the title track, chock full of enough feel-good attitude to make even the most devout old-schooler smile in anticipation. Unfortunately, tracks like “Different Roads,” “Where Would I Be Now” and “Naked Without You” are enough to drive the same old-schoolers out of the piano bar and back to the fiery days of Mad Dogs And Englishmen.
While the formula of No Ordinary World is largely contrived and derivative of even the sleepiest of styles, Cocker still brings enough to the table to make it tolerable and somewhat interesting. Indeed, there are moments of the old Cocker on cuts like “Soul Rising,” ”Love To Lean On” and especially the oddly rockin’ “Lie To Me.” The Cocker of the late 60s/early 70s was at once thrilling and out-of-control, whereas the lighter hits of the 80s and 90s are what kept the man off the sauce and in front of a mike — up where he belonged until 2014.
~ Shawn Perry
