In Good Company | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1989 | |||
Genre | Vocal jazz | |||
Label | Verve | |||
Joe Williams chronology | ||||
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In Good Company is an album by the American musician Joe Williams, released in 1989. [1] [2] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male". [3] Williams supported the album with a North American tour. [4] In Good Company peaked in the top five of Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart. [5]
Williams duetted with Marlena Shaw on Louis Jordan's " Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" and " Baby You Got What It Takes", the song made famous by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton. [6] " Just Friends" is a version of the John Klenner and Sam M. Lewis song. [7] Shirley Horn sang on "Too Good to Be True" and "Love Without Money". [8] Williams was backed by Supersax on " Embraceable You" and "Just Friends". [9] Henry Johnson played guitar on the album; Norman Simmons contributed on piano. [9] [10] Williams was still capable of moving through three vocal octaves. [11]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [12] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
The Los Angeles Times praised "Williams's consistently potent sound." [9] USA Today noted his "sinuous range and meaty bass." [14] The Ottawa Citizen called the album "an engaging collection but not one that stands close scrutiny," but admired the version of " Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues". [15] The Washington Post labeled it "one of the best jazz vocal albums of the year," writing that Williams "has lost a bit of his range and power, but ... he has honed his phrasing to such a sharp edge that the most familiar standard becomes a starkly personal statement." [8] The Boston Globe said that Williams "carries the weight here with great style and polished grace." [16]
AllMusic wrote that "Williams shows that at 70 he still had the magic." [12]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | " Just Friends" | |
2. | " Baby You Got What It Takes" | |
3. | " How Deep Is the Ocean" | |
4. | "Love Without Money" | |
5. | " Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues" | |
6. | "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" | |
7. | " Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" | |
8. | "Too Good to Be True" | |
9. | " Embraceable You" | |
10. | " Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" |