Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Aaron Neville (vocals, keyboards, percussion); Linda Ronstadt, Brian Eno (vocals); Geore Davis (arranger, conductor); Mike | | Landau, Renard Poche, David Lindley (guitar); Skywalker Symphony Orchestra (strings); David "Fathead" Newman (tenor saxophone); Carl Blouin (baritone saxophone); Amadee Castenell (saxophone); Jim Weber (trumpet); Jim Duggan (trombone); Willie Tee, Dr. John, Jim Cox (piano); Art Neville, Sam Henry, Robbie Buchanan (keyboards); Tony Hall (bass, percussion, background vocals); | | Reggie Hamilton, Lee Sklar, David Barrard (bass); Russell Kunkel (drums, programming); Carlos Vega, Herman Ernest, Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste (drums); | | Lenny Castro (percussion); Carmen Carter, Will Wheaton (background vocals). | | Producers include: Joel Dorn, Peter Asher, Steve Lindsey, Allen Toussaint, | | Marshall E. Sehorn. | | Compilation producers: Jeff Hannusch, Dana G. Smart. | | Recorded between 1960 and 1997. Includes liner notes by Jeff Hannusch. | | All tracks have been digitally remastered. | | Personnel: Aaron Neville (vocals, keyboards, percussion, background vocals); Linda Ronstadt (vocals, whistling); Charles Neville (vocals, saxophone, percussion); Art Neville (vocals, keyboards, background vocals); Cyril Neville (vocals, percussion, background vocals); Brian Stoltz (guitar, percussion, background vocals); David Lindley, Dean Parks, Andrew Gold, Renard Poch?, Fred Tackett, Leo Nocentelli (guitar); Skywalker Symphony Orchestra (strings); Amadee Castenell, Jr. (saxophone); David "Fathead" Newman (tenor saxophone); Carl Blouin (baritone saxophone); Jim Weber, Joseph Fox III (trumpet); Jimmy Duggan (trombone); Don Grolnick, Dr. John, Ian Neville, Jim Cox, Wardell Quezergue (piano); Bradley Spalter (keyboards, programming); Robbie Buchanan, Sam Henry (keyboards); Russ Kunkel (drums, programming); Ed Greene, Willie Green , Herman V. Ernest III, Carlos Vega, Ziggy Modeliste (drums); Tony Hall (percussion, background vocals); Lenny Castro, Michael Fisher (percussion); Darryl Johnson , Donny Gerrard, Terry Manuel, James Hayes, Jackie Gouche, William "Bill" Greene, Jerry Lawson, Joe Russell, Alex Brown, Arnold McCuller, Wil Wheaton, Jayotis Washington, Carmen Carter (background vocals). | | Liner Note Author: Jeff Hannusch. | | Photographer: John Casado. | | Arrangers: Allen Toussaint; Wardell Quezergue. | | Although it not surprisingly shares a whopping nine tracks with 2000's The Very Best of Aaron Neville, 2001's Ultimate Collection cherry picks from a far wider range of years (1960-1997) than the A&M period which was used almost exclusively for the former anthology. As such, it's a considerably broader and ultimately a better representation of the Neville Brothers' famed muscular singer with the impossibly angelic falsetto voice. The compilation kicks off with the string-laden "To Make Me Who I Am," a sort of capsule of Neville's tough life, complete with a heartfelt spoken coda which would have made a perfect album closer, certainly better than "Tell It Like It Is," his first crossover hit from 1966. The track does make a good lead-in to "Don't Know Much," the singer's smash duet with Linda Ronstadt though. From there the disc gradually shifts moods and years, smartly bunching most of the upbeat '60s selections (including some interesting obscurities like "Why Worry," the original B-side of "Tell It Like It Is") toward the middle. The collection also rescues a pair of gorgeous R&B covers ("Pledging My Love" and "For Your Precious Love") from an obscure 1985 Joel Dorn-produced EP, as well as "The 10 Commandments of Love," included in the difficult to find Neville Brothers' 1981 release, Fiyo on the Bayou. It smartly plays down the rest of their music which is easily available elsewhere, but does include Aaron's dramatic rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," one of his most stirring performances from Yellow Moon. Thankfully the album doesn't get bogged down in some of the slick and sappy concoctions Neville often gravitates to. While the rather forced rock & roll of Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" doesn't quite fit the predominantly languorous mood, and the track list strangely omits Neville's version of George Jones' "The Grand Tour" or Skylark's "Wildflower" -- both of which remain concert staples -- this is a stunning and consistently enjoyable representation of one of the most distinctive and memorable voices in American music. ~ Hal Horowitz |
Musical Guests | | The Neville Brothers | | Linda Ronstadt | | Don Grolnick | | Dr. John | | Brian Eno |
|
CD
