Afterglow - Dr John

Track List:

1. I Know What I've Got.
2. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You.
3. I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So.
4. Blue Skies.
5. So Long.
6. New York City Blues.
7. Tell Me You'll Wait For Me.
8. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere.
9. I Still Think About You.
10. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)

Running time: 45 minutes
Released: 1995

Now this is a disc I have not listened to in a long time. A much more mellow collection from a legendary bluesman. 

I got into Dr John after hearing his one line ("Such a perfect day" with perfect pronounce poirfect) from the BBC Children In Need cover of Lou Reed's classic (see below). I knew at that instant that I needed to have more music with that voice. I have accumulated too much Dr John since that point.

I think this was the second album I picked up, after Trippin' Live. It has a very different cadence which I am not sure I appreciated at the time, but I began to more as time went by. My memory says every song on this album is fairly slow tempo, big sound, laid back, chilled. "Afterglow" is an appropriate title.

Certainly the first two tracks fit with my recollection. The pace is fairly plodding, but there is real depth to the jazzy arrangement whilst still giving the good Doctor's voice the space it needs to fill. It is lounge music, expertly performed. It feels odd in the middle of an afternoon, but actually there is a riff of positivity flowing through this record that I feel like I need just now. I don't feel like such a lucky so-and-so right now, other than the fact I can enjoy these tunes.

Blue Skies has a higher tempo than I remembered. It is still a laid back sound though, and I could imagine it as a soundtrack to a corny film scene. I love the song though, nice piano line, simple arrangement, neat vocal, relaxation and positivity. It switches to So Long, which despite being a lamenting goodbye, manages to keep the light, and warm theme of the album going. I feel like I should have a brandy on the go instead of this fruit juice; I feel like I should be in a swish club, low lighting, table lights, smokey atmosphere talking to someone whilst not looking at them in favour of watching the band. I am kinda doing that last part, as I chat with a friend on the 'net about XCOM whilst listening.

This album, though I love it, is probably better as background. It's a mood setter. Yes, there is some craft there, and Dr John's voice could carry the phone book but ultimately its biggest asset is the fire-like glow that it gives your soul - and that does not require your full attention. My favourite track on the record is There Must Be A Better World Somewhere, which has just started. I am surprised to find that this is the only version of the song in my library. I was sure I had another. I find the song stands out from the others on the disc less now than when I first listened to Afterglow when I picked it up though. I think I am appreciating the other songs more, but I also think the track is not quite as good on reflection as I thought before. It is anything but bad though.

Into the home straight on the listen now, and the arrangements are still wrapping me in warmth. Good album for a winter night, curled up. It makes me wish for things that are not, but not mind that they cannot be. It gives more than it takes. There is a real charm here and it just goes to show how effective slow pieces can be for establishing mood. There is none of the immediacy and impact you can get from higher tempo music, just a really strong tone, repeated and enforced that leaves me sad when it comes to a close, but uplifted from a low start.