Jools Holland & José Feliciano - As You See Me Now (2017) [Hi-Res]

Music maestro Jools Holland has announced a collaborative album with Latin musician José Feliciano. „As You See Me Now“ will be released in November through East West Records.

The 14-track album includes iconic covers from a wide range of artists such as Stevie Wonder’s Treat Myself, Lead Belly’s Midnight Special and the timeless soul classic, Percy Mayfield’s Hit The Road Jack. The album also features international hits from José Feliciano such as Let’s Find Each Other Tonight and One More Drink. Many of the tracks on the album feature Jools’ renowned Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. José’s festive favourite Feliz Navidad is given a completely new ska makeover.

Jools says of José, “One of my greatest musical heroes musically for years and years...you put something in front of him and he just makes it sound better. When I first heard his music, it had the same effect on me as Ray Charles, The Beatles and Mo- town. Hearing José sing and play was like an arrow straight to my heart. The album has turned out extraordinary, it’s a unique sound.”

José said, “We’ve become brothers, and for as long as I live I’ll never forget this moment, whether I do another record with him or whether I go on his TV show. The reason we work so well together is because his style of piano is my way of guitar playing. There’s no music we can’t play.”

A highlight of the album is the title track, As You See Me Now, which was written by Jools himself and sung by José. Jools says: “It comes to life and it sounds like it’s his. I think that’s the great thing about performing: you are trying to illuminate the song. Whether it’s one of our songs or whether it’s somebody else’s song, you are just trying to make it come to life.”

Another highlight of ‘As You See Me Now’ is the Django Reinhardt influenced Honeysuckle Rose. Jools says it took, “one take, that was it. It teared through like hot club jazz from the 1930s. I’d never heard José playing like that and the band loved it.” Also featured is a duet with Rita Wilson called You’re So Cold that she co-wrote with Jools while they were in the Antarctic last year.

In support of their new album, Jools and José will be heading out on the road this autumn with a 35-date UK tour. Highlights include two dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall, as well as arena shows at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena and Leeds’ First Direct Arena. With a vast collection of boogie-woogie tracks from multiple decades, a night at one of the UK’s most popular tours is guaranteed to be a memorable one.

As well as their signature vocals, Jools’ boogie-woogie piano style mixed with José’s inimitable Latin guitar playing provides a truly engaging listen.