Afterglow (Dr. John album)
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| Afterglow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Studio | Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California; Bill Schnee Studios, North Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Big band[1] | |||
| Label | Blue Thumb[2] | |||
| Producer | Tommy LiPuma | |||
| Dr. John chronology | ||||
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Afterglow is an album by the American musician Dr. John, released in 1995.[1][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]
Critical reception
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]
