Blue Note

Great concept, even better execution. For his Blue Note Records debut, the stalwart New Orleans vocalist reaches back to his youth to deliver a dozen covers of doo-wop and primal R&B hits – co-produced, no less, by new label head Don Was and Keith Richards. It’s obvious from the first notes of “Money Honey” – one of four tunes on the album originally by the Drifters ( “Under the Boardwalk” is another) – that the entire team is having a blast. Neville’s voice lends itself particularly well to the familiar (The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions’
“Gypsy Woman” ) and lesser known (The Clovers’ “Ting A Ling,” The Jive Five’s title track) classics, and to hear that instantly recognizable warble interact with Richards’ pointed licks is a real treat in itself.