This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Maybe you know Jools Holland as keyboard player in new wavers Squeeze. Or perhaps you remember him as the guy who backed George Harrison on his final recording. In the U.K., Holland is perhaps best known as the host of the excellent live-music series Later, where he often sits in with his guests.
More Friends — a sequel to 2001’s Small World Big Band — flips the script on that notion. Here, Holland and his big, bold brass band play host to more than a score of A-list legends and guest vocalists, giving them all the red-carpet treatment. Among the highlights: Norah Jones smokily croons In The Dark; Bryan Ferry delivers a shadowy The Only Face; Tom Jones belts out a swinging Don’t You Kiss My Cheek; Chryssie Hynde cries a mournful Out Of This World; Ray Davies pens a Latin-flavoured letter to the editor on Yours Truly, Confused N10; Robert Plant gets down on Let The Boogie Woogie Roll; and Bono torches If You Wear That Velvet Dress. With friends like these, Holland might finally get the recognition he deserves on these shores.
